Jungle Fury: The Legend Continues
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Documenting the trials and tribulations of the JF team as they adjust to post-Ranger life.
1. Donny's Apology

A/N: This is a continuation from Knightwood's story "Jungle Fury: Normal Life". So you'll need to read some of that to get a grasp of what's happening. To all my original followers though...thank you for following me. As a reward, here's a fun contest. The first one to review this story and know where I got the inspiration for my new pen-name will be given a bonus spoiler.

The following Monday, Donny pulled into the parking lot outside the school, feeling a sense of dread building in him. In all his time in the teaching profession he had seen it all. His car had been trashed more times than he could count, he had heard pretty much every threat and insult anyone could imagine, and as of the previous week, he had even been attacked, but throughout all of that, he had never once felt afraid or ashamed to enter a school. He did today though.

He had spent most of the previous day staring at the phone, occasionally getting as far as picking it up, before chickening out. Since he had kissed Fran, he had thought of nothing else, but how he could possibly try to explain things if not necessarily make them better? He had thought about almost every way he could possibly bring up the subject, but at the end of the day, it all amounted to the same thing. He was essentially going to be walking up to her to ask forgiveness.

He had met Theo twice now, and he had to admit that he liked him. He didn't know much about him, but he had been the kind of guy he was sure he would get along with. Of course he doubted that would be the case if Theo knew that he had put the moves on his wife.

He liked Fran, he knew that much. It had been a long time since she was the jittery nervous social car wreck he had seen cowering out of sight back at High School. She had grown into an amazing and beautiful woman. He had to admit that he had been attracted to her, but he wasn't the kind of guy to put the moves on another man's wife, so what had been different this time?

He saw her car pull up and Fran got out, clutching her folders to her chest. He took a deep breath and prepared to bite the bullet. Getting out, he started to make his way over.

"Fran..."

She snapped around, clearly a little alarmed as he greeted her. He could tell that she had obviously had much the same kind of day he had the day before. She didn't have anything to be ashamed of, Donny knew that he was the one that made all the moves. She had all but thrown him off her when he kissed her, something he was sure she would be capable of given the way she saw off the students who attacked him.

"Donny, I've got to..."

"Fran, please wait." He interrupted her, catching her elbow with his hand to stop her. Fran looked down at his hand, and back up. Donny immediately let go, realising his mistake and held his hands up defensively. "Fran, about the other night..."

"It's alright." She muttered, looking away. "You'd had a bit to drink..."

"It isn't alright Fran, you know that." He interrupted her. "Please, I know what I did was stupid, and wrong but...I really don't want to lose a friend over this."

"Donny..."

"I know you have a free period just before lunch." He reminded her. "Please, I really need to apologise and explain this."

Fran thought about it for a minute. She had to admit that Donny was attractive. She'd had a crush on him for a while back when she was a student, and when she figured out who he was, she had been overjoyed to relive one of the few happy memories she had from her childhood. When Donny had started to confide in her about his thoughts of settling down, she had listened, honoured that he thought enough of her to share that side of himself with her. He was still the confident, strong, popular jock he had been in High School to the world at large. While he had grown up a lot, his charisma and force of personality were still overwhelming, forcing people to believe in him, even if they didn't like him. His veil had slipped though, showing her a much more vulnerable side.

Of course she had never considered the possibility of what would happen next. He had moved in so quickly, she hadn't had a chance to react. When he kissed her, she had to admit that it felt good, it was flattering to know that she was attractive to others, but it also felt wrong. Her heart was with Theo. She admired Donny, and she thought of him as possibly being closer than a mere friend, but she didn't think of him romantically. Perhaps the thought had crossed her mind in a brief fantasy or random thought, but she never seriously considered cheating on Theo. She and Theo were like two halves of the same person. He and Algie were her entire world, she'd never do anything to hurt them. Looking at Donny briefly, she could see the desperation in his eyes. She took a deep breath.

"I'll talk to you then." She responded. Donny managed to force out a half-smile. He knew he wasn't off the hook, but at least Fran was willing to let him explain.

"Thank you." He told her as she turned to leave. Fran paused, considering turning back to him to say something, but thought better of it and just left. She wasn't looking forward to this conversation in the slightest, but it was definitely something that she wanted to keep behind closed doors.

RJ came into Master Finn's cabin, finding his father working on a piece of wood.

"RJ, how's the stomach?" He asked him, putting down his chisel.

"It's fine, everything's healing up nicely." RJ informed him, setting down a sandwich he had brought him. "So how was fishing in the bay?"

"I caught a 7 pounder." He informed him. "It made a fantastic meal."

"You ate a 7 pound fish by yourself?" He asked, a little surprised to hear this. Master Finn just grabbed the sandwich, unwrapping the cling film and took a bite.

"This is amazing!" He commented. "What is it?"

"The bread's fresh, Johnny gave me a recipe." RJ informed him. "I know you like grilled chicken."

"What do you want?" Finn asked his son, looking at him suspiciously. RJ just laughed, realising he had been busted. His motives for his impromptu visit hadn't been entirely noble.

"Susan's mom is moving to Ocean Bluff tomorrow." He informed him. "Knowing the way the Rhodes family pack, I was hoping to get a few extra hands to help get her moved in."

Master Finn smiled. He knew Mrs. Rhodes was moving, and now RJ had given him a valid reason for turning up on the day she arrived.

"I'd be delighted to help." He stated with authority. "I'm sure Casey is looking forward to having his mom in the city."

"She's staying with us until she finds somewhere permanent." RJ told him. Master Finn had to try hard not to react. The fact was that she had already made a long-term plan. Once she moved to OB, she was intending to tell her kids about their relationship, and once everyone had gotten used to the idea, she was going to move in with him.

"So how is Susan?" Master Finn asked him.

"She's just hoping this all ends soon." RJ told him. "She's looking forward to the birth."

"Your mother was the same at that stage." Master Finn recalled. "She tried everything to coax you out. Long walks, strenuous exercise..."

"OK, that's a lot more information than I wanted." RJ interrupted him. "Anyway, she's getting in around midday tomorrow."

"I'll be there to help." Master Finn assured him. "Thanks for the sandwich!"

As RJ left, he pulled out his cell phone, hitting speed dial. He smiled as it was answered.

"Barbara, it's me." He told her. "RJ just told me about your moving plans. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled as she answered.

"I love you too." He replied, hanging up.

Fran knocked on the door of Donny's office, making her way in. Donny gestured for her to sit down as he got up, pacing the room, trying to think where to begin. He was obviously looking forward to this conversation as much as she was.

"Thank you for coming." He told her. "I'd have understood if you gave it a miss."

"I said I'd come." Fran reminded him. Donny ran a hand through his hair.

"Fran, I wanted to apologise. What I did...it was way out of line." He began nervously. "It was stupid and selfish and..."

"Why did you do it?" Fran asked him.

"You remember how I was telling you that I've been thinking a lot about my future?" He asked her. Fran nodded gently. "Well I've been thinking a lot about my life now as well. I've loved my job, it's something I'm really good at, but the thing is, I don't really have much else."

He went to the window, looking out of it, breathing a sigh.

"I have quite a lot of money saved up. It isn't because I get paid a lot, it's because I don't pay rent or a mortgage. Fran, I'm three years older than you, and I've never once paid rent." He told her. "I've never stayed anywhere long enough to make it worth my time getting somewhere. I've moved around...I have an e-mail address book full of names from all over the country and the sad fact is, I'd probably walk past every one of them in the street. I wouldn't even remember them."

"Donny..."

"Please, let me finish." He told her. "Fran, I don't think what happened was even necessarily anything to do with you. The fact is, since I got this job, I've never formed any attachments. I've never set any roots anywhere."

He turned back to her, sitting on his desk.

"I saw what you have with Theo. I see the way he looks at you, and I envy it. I see the way you look at him, and I'm as jealous as hell. No one's ever looked at me like that. This life you have here, Theo, the house, Algie...I don't have any of that. For years I've told myself it didn't matter, but now...I realise what I've been missing out on."

"What about that cheerleader you were dating?" She asked him. "I heard you got married."

"It lasted about a month." He informed her. "It turned out she preferred my best friend anyway."

"Ouch." She exclaimed, trying to imagine what that must have been like. Donny handed her an envelope.

"What's this?" Fran asked him.

"It's a job offer." Donny told her. "I put in a recommendation that you be granted tenure. There's a permanent teaching job here if you want it."

"Donny, this..."

"This isn't hush money, I assure you." He told her. "I put in the recommendation my second day here. I always thought you were an asset to this place."

"But we already have an English teacher." She reminded him. "What about Dr. Jennings?"

"You don't need to worry, I had no intention of seeing him out of a job." He assured her. "I was actually thinking that there's a job he'd be perfect for, mine."

"Yours?" Fran asked him.

"Fran...after what happened, I don't expect you to work with me." He told her. "I was thinking of taking Dr. Weinberg's offer. I was going to call him and go to Silver Hills."

Fran felt a little sympathy building up in her as she heard this. She got up, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Donny, I don't hold it against you." She replied with a little smile. "I have to admit, I was shocked at the time, and it isn't something I'd like to repeat, but how I've been feeling since it happened...I'm glad you cleared the air."

"Fran..."

"Please, let me finish." She instructed him. "It's an amazing job, and I appreciate the offer, but don't go on my account."

She came around in front of him, putting her other hand on his other shoulder.

"You were feeling low, and you'd had a bit to drink. I can understand that you weren't thinking straight." She told him. "It's a bit of an ego boost to think you considered me like that."

"You don't mind?" He asked her.

"Donny, it was a mistake. We all make them." She reassured him. "Hell, once I kissed my brother-in-law."

"But, how...?"

"I haven't told Theo." She interrupted him. "Donny, you'll find what you're looking for. You're a great guy, and anyone would be lucky to have you. This job offer is a great opportunity, but just...don't take it just to get away from me."

"You aren't mad at me?" He asked her.

"No, I understand." She told him, hugging him. Donny eventually returned the gesture, grateful that she had forgiven his foolish actions.

"So are kick-ass kung fu moves just your thing or your husband's too?" He asked her.

"Theo was the one who taught me." She informed him.

"It's probably just as well you didn't tell him then." He replied. "Listen Fran, I really am sorry..."

"I hate keeping things from my husband." Fran told him. "Just...make sure it's worth it. Do what's best for the school."

"I will." He assured her. "Thanks for this Fran."

"You're welcome." She replied, hugging him once more.

Over at Casey's gym, he was just exchanging farewells with a kung fu class as Flit arrived. He made his way over to Casey as he mopped himself down with a towel.

"Hey Flit!" He greeted him with a strong high five.

"Hi Casey." He responded. "Um...could we talk for a minute?"

"I don't have any classes until this evening, and it'll be a while before the office crowd gets in." The Tiger Master told him. "What can I help you with?"

"It's about Michelle." Flit told him. "You know we've been together for a while now..."

Casey just smiled and extended a hand. Flit gratefully accepted it, shaking it warmly.

"Thanks Casey, I've been dreading this for ages now." He told him. "I plan on asking her soon, but since her dad isn't around anymore, and I know how protective you are..."

"Breathe flit." Casey interrupted him, putting his arm around the healer. "Look, I know I gave Jarrod a hard time, but there were other reasons behind that. I know you'd never do anything to harm my sister."

"So you're cool with me asking her?" He asked. "Casey, this is important to me."

"Flit, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have coming into the family." He assured him. "Mom's going to be so happy to see the last of the Rhodes kids being married off."

"Listen, I'm a little nervous about this. I'm planning on making a night of it." Flit told him. "I know your mom's coming to town tomorrow, so would you mind if I did it then?"

"Flit, I couldn't think of anything that mom would love more." Casey assured him.


	2. Arrivals, Shocks and News

Casey was busy getting ready when Theo arrived the next morning. He had arranged for Theo to cover his shift while he went to JKP to help his mother move in. He was still excited about the prospect of his mom moving to town at long last. She had been talking about the possibility for a while, now that all three of her kids had moved to Ocean Bluff, and she had retired, there really wasn't anything to keep her in San Francisco. The house had seemed more than a little empty since Casey had left anyway.

"Hi Theo." Camille greeted him as he set Algie's car seat down on the floor gently so he wouldn't wake him.

"I guess Casey's getting ready for the big move." He replied, seeing the way the Tiger Master was rushing around the apartment, panicking over every little detail, muttering to himself as he tried to remind himself of everything he needed to do that day.

"He's been like that since Holly woke up." She informed him. "I'm going to take the kids over to see her later."

"I'm sure she'll love that." Theo responded.

"Camille, have you seen...?" Casey was interrupted as she picked up a letter, handing it to him. He leaned over, kissing her cheek, before heading for the door. "I'll see you later Theo."

"So he did notice me then." Theo said dryly with a small laugh at his friend's expense. Camille shook her head gently.

"I'm impressed he noticed I was here." She told him. "He lost that letter three times this morning."

"I guess we all get a little like that around family." Theo responded as he went to the door to the gym. "Anyway, it's almost time for me to open up. Let me know if you need a hand with Algie."

"Have a good one Theo." She called after him as he left. She turned her attention to the kids, satisfying herself that Algie was sound asleep, and by the looks of the way Holly was playing contentedly on the floor, it didn't look like she would be hearing much from her in the near future either. She lay back on the couch, resting gently as she kept an eye on the kids. She knew that it was best to keep the kids out the way while the guys saw to the heavy lifting, but she was looking forward to taking Holly to see her grandmother. It had been too long since she had seen her.

Casey arrived at the restaurant, finding RJ and Master Finn already outside, waiting for the removal van. Casey smiled as he saw them.

"You're early." He commented to Master Finn. "I wouldn't have expected you to be here already."

"You know me Casey, I'm an early riser." Master Finn stated happily. "Your mom called to tell us that they're on the freeway."

"The traffic shouldn't be too bad at this time of the day, and they did leave pretty early." Casey commented. "Hopefully it shouldn't be too much longer. How's Susan?"

"She didn't get too much sleep last night; she went for a nap on the couch a little while ago." He informed him. "She wants to be awake by the time your mom gets in."

"If I wasn't sure she'd kill me, I'd so be taking the opportunity to mess with her!" Casey remarked, laughing a little. "I remember just before Holly was born Camille was sleeping every time I turned around."

"I guess it's a Rhodes kid thing." Master Finn said in a chuckle. Just then, a removal truck rolled into the street, the horn sounding as it arrived to alert them. Mrs. Rhodes and Michelle disembarked, the driver getting out the other side. Casey, RJ and Master Finn approached them.

"Mom, it's great to see you!" Casey declared loudly, hugging her tightly. "You look fantastic. I can't believe you're finally here!"

"You're looking pretty good yourself there mister." She replied, casting a little look over to Master Finn as she said this. She parted from him, looking into Casey's eyes. "So how's my gorgeous granddaughter?"

"Holly's doing great. Camille's going to bring her over later once we've moved your stuff in." He told her, slapping his hands together. "Right guys, let's get this...started."

His words tailed off a little as he opened the van, finding to his surprise far less stuff than he would have expected. There were a few boxes, and a couple of large suitcases, but it was nowhere near the contents of their old house.

"Mom, where's all your stuff?" He asked her. "I arranged for a storage unit for the furniture."

"Oh, I really wasn't planning on needing anything." She replied, waving him off. Casey just looked to Michelle, who shrugged in response. Clearly she had been a bit curious about this too.

"Why wouldn't you need furniture?" He asked her. "I mean, sure you wouldn't be keeping all of it when you move into a smaller place, but I'd have thought you'd need at least some of it."

"Casey, it's my furniture, you let me worry about that." She told him, giving Master Finn another quick glance. They knew that they would have to discuss their intended living arrangements soon, but it was hardly the appropriate time to do so when they were standing on the street, with a highly impatient removal truck driver waiting to get a signature so he could head off to his next job.

"Well this won't take anywhere near as long as I thought it would." RJ commented, taking the first of the boxes off the truck. "Come on guys, let's get this done quickly and let this gentleman get back on the road."

Over at the school, Johnny and Liv were just taking a quiet walk around the quad after lunch. Things were going pretty well at the school right now. The make-up tests were now complete, most of the students were riding a high after the football team's success in making it into the playoffs, and even the teachers were decidedly cheerful as a result of the improvements in the school.

"So it's not much longer until Dr. Jennings gets to go home." Liv commented.

"I believe that's in about two weeks." He replied.

"You know something else special is coming in about two weeks." She told him, putting her arm around his waist.

"Really, what would that be?" He asked her, teasing her slightly by pretending to be ignorant. He knew that Liv's birthday was coming up. He had been saving a lot of his tip money from JKP, hoping to get her something she would like. "I haven't heard of anything..."

"Liv playfully smacked him in the stomach with her hand, pulling away from him with a small pout.

"If you're going to be mean then I'm not talking to you." She told him, crossing her arms defiantly and turning away from him. Johnny just laughed, tapping her shoulder gently.

"Don't worry; I know what's special around then." He assured her. "I believe it's a very special lady's 15th birthday."

"So you haven't forgotten?" She asked him, turning back to him with a bright grin.

"What do you think?" He asked her. He leaned in, kissing her softly. As he parted from her, she smiled at him. It was only then that he noticed someone at the gates watching him. He tried to act as casually as he could.

"I'm just going to be out here a little while." He told her, causing her to look at him a little confused. He reached up to his head, stroking his temple gently. "I'm starting to come down with a bit of a headache."

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"I'll be fine, really." He assured her. "I just want to get some air for a little while before I head back to class. I'll catch you tomorrow alright?"

"Sure thing Johnny." She responded, kissing him quickly before leaving. Johnny waited until he was sure Liv had gone before making his way to the gates.

A girl was waiting there for him. Johnny arrived, looking around once more to make sure no one saw him, before turning to her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked her gruffly. The girl looked up at him with dark brown eyes, filled with fear. She was around the same age as him, and around 5' 8" tall, but incredibly skinny, her face a little bony. Her flesh was unhealthily pale. She was wearing black combat trousers and dirty caterpillar boots, with a grunge t-shirt, and a heavy denim jacket that had seen better days. Her clothes were ill-fitting, barely hanging on her frame, and worn. It was as though they weren't made for her at all, but given how she had apparently not been looking after herself, it was simply possible that she had lost so much weight that they no longer fit her. "How the hell did you find me?"

"I saw your name in the paper after that shooting." She told him. "Johnny, I really need your help, could you come...?"

"I'm at school Jazz." He interrupted her bluntly, turning to walk away.

"Johnny, please I'm desperate!" She implored him.

"I came all the way out here to get away from that life!" He snapped in response. "I have a good life here now."

"Johnny please, you don't understand." She told him, reaching through the gate for his hand. "I'd never have come here if I had a choice, but I'm in trouble. I'm in really deep trouble."

"I'm sorry to hear that Jazz, but that's your problem." He told her flatly, turning and walking away. Jazz could only watch him go, her eyes tearing up as she saw him leave.

Later at JKP, Mrs. Rhodes was catching up with her kids as Liv came into the apartment. Mrs. Rhodes got up, crossing over to her.

"You must be Liv, I've heard so much about you." She greeted her enthusiastically. Master Finn had explained all about Liv and the adoption. Mrs. Rhodes hadn't yet met her, but she was keen to make a good first impression. Since she and Master Finn were intending to tell RJ, Casey and the twins about their relationship, she knew that it would create a lot of new, potentially awkward relationships. It was inevitable that Liv was going to end up being a part of her life. She gestured for a hug. "I'm Casey's mom."

"Hi." She replied, hugging her softly.

"I have a feeling I'm going to love getting to know you." She replied. "Please, come and sit with us for a while. Tell me all about yourself!"

Just then, Flit arrived, closing the door behind him.

"Hi there guys, how are you all?" He greeted them, coming into the room.

"Hi Flit, we were all wondering when you'd make an appearance." Camille greeted him.

"That's a pretty nice jacket you have there." Master Finn complimented him, referring to the new soft suede jacket he was wearing. He pointed to the coat hooks behind him. "It kind of looks familiar."

"Oh, I guess it does." Flit responded, seeing the same jacket hanging there. He had seen it on sale a few days ago, and bought it to make a good impression on Mrs. Rhodes. He was about to ask her last remaining daughter to marry him after all. He hung up his jacket and made his way over to the couch, taking a seat next to Michelle, putting his arm around her. "How was the trip?"

Over at the wrecker's yard, Johnny was helping his uncle with some basic inventory. He wasn't on shift that night, and so he had a bit of spare time to help out for once.

As he was coming to another pile, his uncle's dog started barking.

"Knock it off Nero, I'm trying to think!" He snapped impatiently at the old mastiff. He continued to work through the din as much as he could, trying to think more about how he was saving money for a birthday present for Liv than trying to go over some boring figures while his uncle's annoying dog barked at some random passing stranger. Eventually it all got too much for him and he just slammed down the clip board and followed the sound of the incessant barking. "Damn it Nero, I said knock it off!"

As he arrived, he found what he was barking at. Jazz had come into the yard, seeking him. She was cowering in a corner away from the dog, but it looked like that was the least of her problems. She had a black eye, and blood running from numerous cuts on her face. She appeared to be having trouble breathing properly, suggesting that her injuries were quite recent.

"Jazz?" He asked her, grabbing Nero's collar and leading him away from her. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"I told you I was in trouble." She replied, forcing a little bit of a smile through her pain.

"Jazz, what have you gotten involved in?" He asked her. "Who did this to you?"

"I came here because I'm in deep shit." She told him. "I took a job, one that was paid for up front. I fumbled it."

"Whose job was it?" He asked her. She looked at him sadly.

"It was the Blue Crew." She informed him. Johnny just stroked the bridge of his nose gently, groaning loudly.

"Jazz, what the hell were you thinking?" He asked her. "You know what those guys are like!"

He knelt down next to her, stroking some hair from her face, inspecting her face as much as he could.

"So how deep are you in?" He asked her.

"20 grand." She told him. "This is my first warning. If I don't pay up in a week, they're going to start cutting stuff off. They've assured me its stuff I'll miss."

Johnny hated thinking that he had to face this. He couldn't go to anyone for help. The police wouldn't be able to protect her. Jazz's parents had never been the most attentive, that was obviously how she had gotten to Ocean Bluff without anyone really missing her. If the police got involved, she'd probably end up in juvenile hall or in care. He knew the reputation of the Blue Crew, and didn't want to get any of his friends involved with them, especially not Liv. He had done everything he could to avoid getting involved with them himself. As much as he had initially refused to help her, he now knew how serious her problem was. If he didn't help her, he knew that she would end up dead.

"Who did this to you?" He asked her.

"It was Clint." She informed him, causing another groan from Johnny. His reputation preceded him.

"Where can I find him?" Johnny asked her. Jazz looked at him a little worried.

"Johnny, what are you going to do?" She asked him. "You can't go after Clint..."

"I'm not planning on going after him; I just want to talk to him." Johnny told her. "I don't have 20 grand Jazz, and there's no way I'm going to be able to get it. We need another way to cover your debt. I'm going to need to make a deal. What was the job?"

Back at JKP, it was starting to get late. Theo had already been by to pick up Algie. Camille started to gather Holly's things shortly afterwards.

"I promise we'll bring her around to see you again soon Mrs. Rhodes." Camille assured her as Casey went to get their jackets.

"I better be going too." Michelle declared. "I'm on shift early tomorrow. I'm sorry mom; I'll need to catch up with you later."

"Casey, would you mind getting my jacket?" Flit asked him. Casey grabbed a suede jacket from the hook by the door and threw it to him. Unfortunately as he did so, a small red box fell out of the pocket. Everyone looked around at it, and the atmosphere in the room changed. Casey looked to Flit regretfully as he picked up the box, handing it to him.

"God Flit, I am so sorry about this." He told him. Flit started shaking his head, waving his hands frantically. "I had no idea you had the ring..."

"What ring?" Michelle asked him, a smile crossing her face. "Flit? Is this what I think it is?"

"Oh my God!" Lily gushed, coming quickly to the same conclusion.

"Guys..."

"I had no idea you were thinking about this!" Susan shrieked. "You kept that one quiet!"

"Guys..."

Michelle turned to Flit, holding his hand.

"Flit, I don't care if this wasn't how you wanted to do this." She told him. "I don't mind at all, this is..."

"Guys!" Flit finally put down, interrupting all of them. He got a regretful look on his face as he looked around the room. "This isn't mine. I didn't buy this."

"You didn't?" Casey asked, wondering how that was possible.

"No Casey, I didn't." Flit told him.

"But if you didn't buy this, then who...?" Lily's words tailed off as the situation slowly started to make sense and everyone realised what had happened. Both Flit and Master Finn had been wearing the same kind of jacket. Casey had just grabbed one of them and thrown it to Flit. That meant that if the ring didn't belong to Flit, there was only one explanation. As they all turned to stare at him, the look on the Shark Master's face confirmed what they all suspected. He cast a small glance to Mrs. Rhodes, who just reached across, taking his hand gently.

"This isn't how we wanted this to come out." She told them. "Kids, there's something we need to talk to you about."


	3. Johnny's Job

The next morning, Johnny went to his locker, shoving his school bag inside. Opening it, she sighed sadly as he looked in at the tools he had brought with him. He hated the thought that he was being dragged back into his old life. He had promised his parents when they had sent him away that he was finished with his old ways. Unfortunately though fate had taken another turn against him, his old friend Jazz had turned up.

He hated the fact that she had foolishly gotten involved with the Blue Crew. She had obviously gone after the big money with one big job, but from what she had told him, she had messed it up. Now they were calling her on a debt. They had advanced her twenty thousand dollars, presumably to prepare for the job, but now that she had messed up, they expected her to pay it back. Of course if she had that kind of money, she would never have taken the job in the first place.

"Hey!" Liv greeted him, wrapping her arms around him, causing him to jump. He hit his head on the inside of his locker, swearing loudly, before shoving his bag inside and slamming the door shut, hoping Liv wouldn't see the tools.

"You're going to have to stop doing that." He told her, rubbing the back of his head. "I only have so many brain cells to lose to concussion."

"I'm sorry, you know I love the way you jump when I surprise you." She commented, shifting around him. "What have you got in your locker?"

"You know you shouldn't ask questions like that." He told her, locking the door. "Certainly you shouldn't ask so close to your special day."

Liv smiled at him, showing her braces as he referenced her birthday.

"You got me something?" She asked him.

"Maybe." He replied, wrapping his arms around her. "Of course, you'll have to wait to find out."

"Are you sure I couldn't just have a little peek?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"That would spoil the surprise now wouldn't it?" He asked her, leaning in to kiss her. He hated to lie to her, but the last thing he wanted was to involve Liv in all of this. He parted from her. "So, are you ready for English?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She told him through a forced smile. She didn't know what was bothering her, but something about Johnny just didn't seem right. It was as if he was hiding something from her, and it was clearly upsetting him. She doubted the whole birthday present story from the second he said it. She had no idea why he would lie to her, but she was determined to find out. If it upset him this much, it was obviously important. "Come on, Mrs. Martin will be waiting."

In Ocean Bluff Hospital, Gabby was busy working with her physiotherapist on her exercises. She was still a little stiff and uncomfortable, but the exercises were becoming a lot easier. As soon as he finished with the last of her stretches, he smiled at her.

"You're progressing well Ms. Wallace, you may get dressed now." He told her. Gabby grabbed her sweat pants, pulling them on. "If all my patients were as healthy as you, I'd be out of business."

"A couple of my friends are really experienced with this kind of thing." She told him. "I've been getting a lot of help with my exercises."

"Well it all seems to be helping; I'd really like to know what they've been doing." He commented. "I'll let you keep the cane in case you need it, but I think by now you're ready to ditch it."

"That's a relief." She sighed, pulling her jacket on. "I could really do without the cane about now."

"I guess it'll be hard to get around on the building site with a cane." He replied with a smirk. Gabby just looked at him. "I saw the press conference. I know about the X-games thing you're starting."

"Well I guess it'll be good to be able to visit the site and see the progress." She told him.

"I was a bit of a surfer myself back in the day." He informed her. "I was really pleased to hear you're intending to open up the beaches. I think it's criminal that the council haven't opened them to surfers. The waves are amazing!"

"My friend Tori said the same thing the last time she was out here." Gabby remarked.

Just then, Dom poked his head around the door, knocking the wall gently.

"Hey there beautiful." He greeted her. "Are you ready to go to the bakers?"

"We're picking out a cake for the wedding." She explained. "I'd be happy with a small thing, but mom and dad are really excited and making a huge deal out of it."

"Well you are their little girl; of course they want to make an effort." The physiotherapist told her. "My girl's only five, and I've started her wedding fund already."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that when the day comes." Gabby told him, turning to Dom. "Anyway, the baker won't wait too long. Did you bring the car?"

"Your dad lent me the Bentley." He informed her. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." She replied, picking up her cane and beginning to limp towards the door.

As the lunch bell rang, Johnny came out of shop class into the hallway. He found Liv waiting for him.

"Are you up for some re-heated frozen fish sticks?" She asked him. "I passed the canteen earlier, and smelled them. It doesn't seem like they're burned."

"Sorry, I'm going to have to call a rain check." He told her regretfully, stroking his forehead. "I just started getting a monster migraine last period; I'm just going to go home."

"Are you alright?" She asked him, slightly concerned. He nodded.

"I just need to lie down for a while." He told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He pulled his bag out of his locker and left. Liv knew she still had classes that afternoon, but she was still worried about Johnny. She followed him at a safe distance.

When he was outside, she crouched behind a parked car, watching as he got to the gates. She saw him meeting up with a girl. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she watched him reach out to touch her face.

Johnny stroked Jazz's cheek as he greeted her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her. She looked into his eyes nervously.

"I feel better knowing you're coming." She told him. "Thanks for this Johnny."

She reached up, stroking his face, at which Liv felt a tear beginning to roll down her face.

"I knew I could count on you." She whispered. "You were..."

"It's nothing like that Jazz." He interrupted her flatly, looking down on her. "I can't just let you die, but make no mistake this isn't the old days. I have a new life now. This is a one-time deal."

"We were good together Johnny." She stated. "I kept going by myself when you left, but it was never the same."

"Jazz, that was a long time ago." He told her. "I'm with someone else now."

She looked to her feet, realising what he was saying.

"I thought..."

"I don't want you to get killed Jazz, but this isn't us getting back together." He told her.

"What's her name?" Jazz asked him. Johnny smiled.

"Her name's Liv." He told her.

"Do you love her?" Jazz asked him. He nodded in reply.

"She means everything to me." He told her. "Jazz, I'm serious about this. I'll help you out, but once I do, that's it. I want you to find something else to do. I won't keep bailing you out."

"I understand." She sighed, wiping away a tear. "This Liv has to be amazing. She's a lucky girl."

"Let's just go." He told her. "Clint isn't a patient man."

Liv was devastated by the idea that Johnny might be cheating on her. Her heart was breaking inside, but she needed to know more. Despite how much it hurt, and despite the trouble she knew she would get into when the school called RJ and Lily to tell her she was absent from her afternoon classes, she had to know. She got up and followed them as they left.

Master Finn arrived at Casey's gym, finding a sign in the door, declaring that it was closed. It had been an incredible shock to him and his sisters when he found out that he and his mother had been dating, and an even bigger shock that they were intending to get married. Casey especially had taken it hard. He stormed out of the apartment before either of them could explain. Mrs. Rhodes had tried to call him several times, but got the answering machine every time.

He made his way inside, finding Casey hammering a punching bag with everything he had. By the way he was sweating, he could tell that he had been at it for quite some time, possibly all day.

"I guess you're imagining that's me." Master Finn commented, gesturing to the bag. Casey just glanced at him, before resuming his workout.

"The thought had crossed my mind." He admitted.

"Casey, this isn't how I wanted you to find out." He told him. Casey paused and turned towards him.

"I don't want to talk about this." He stated. "Now, you know where the door is..."

"We have to talk about it sometime." Master Finn interrupted him. Casey just shook his head.

"Casey, I want you to be alright with this." He told him.

"I don't know if I can be." He replied honestly.

"If it means anything to you, this isn't something we rushed into." Master Finn assured him. "Your mother and I have been seeing each other for some time now."

"So you only saw fit to tell us now?" Casey asked him. "She's my mom!"

"Casey, we knew that you wouldn't like this, we wanted to tread carefully." Master Finn told him. "I know how much Jack meant to you."

Casey turned his back on him. He genuinely liked Master Finn; he had guided him so much during his time as a Ranger. In some ways, he had filled the void left in his life after his father died. Of course, there was a big difference between him being a father figure and him seeing his mother.

"Casey, I'm not trying to replace Jack." Master Finn assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Casey shrugged it off aggressively.

"You said he was your friend." Casey murmured. "How could you do this?"

"Casey, your mother and I have been alone for a long time. Once my wife died, I never thought I'd feel that way for anyone ever again." He told him. "I don't know how much difference it makes..."

"It doesn't make any difference!" Casey snapped, spinning to face him. Master Finn just held up his hands.

"Casey, this isn't something we just decided on the spur of the moment. We love each other." He assured him. "Barbra is a wonderful woman."

"I know that, she's my mom!" He yelled. Master Finn smiled.

"Casey, you knew Jack better than anyone. He worshipped you." He replied. "Do you really think he would have wanted her to be alone?"

"I always knew she'd find someone else some day." Casey said, mopping his eyes with his wrist.

"For what it's worth, I'm not messing around." Master Finn told him. "I love your mother with all of my heart."

"I know it's stupid and selfish, but it's just so hard." Casey told him. "It's just so hard to see her with anyone but dad."

"Like I said, I have no intention of replacing Jack. I know I never could." He told him with a smile. "I love your mother, and we make each other happy. We just don't want to be alone anymore."

"So you're marrying mom because you're lonely?" Casey asked him. Master Finn shook his head.

"I'm marrying your mom because I love her." He told him. "If you really have a problem with this..."

"No, I can't stand in the way of this." Casey told him. "I guess I'd have been weird with anyone getting together with mom."

"So you're really alright with this?" Master Finn asked him.

"No, I'm not." Casey replied flatly. "But I want mom to be happy, and I have to admit that you make her happy."

"I won't marry her if you aren't cool with this." He assured him. Casey shook his head.

"I'm not, but that's my problem." Casey told him. "I'll give you my blessing on one condition."

"What's that?" Master Finn asked him. Casey just smiled.

"You don't tell my sisters I was crying about this." He told him. "I tortured them so much as a kid they'd never let me live it down."

Johnny and Jazz made their way into the only other wrecker's yard in Ocean Bluff; still unaware Liv was following them. They were approached by three large, burly men.

"Private property." One of them said abruptly, putting a hand on Johnny's chest. Johnny just looked down on it.

"Tell Clint Johnny Mancusso wants to see him." He stated.

One of the men left to deliver the message, while the other two kept an eye on Johnny and Jazz. Liv took the opportunity to follow the third man to the office. Whatever he was doing with this girl, obviously it had something to do with this 'Clint' person. As he ascended the stairs to an office, she found a stack of wrecked cars nearby and climbed it. She saw the man leaving quickly.

The man in the office, the one she presumed was 'Clint', certainly lived up to his namesake. He was white-haired, and wearing a suit. He had a short, stubby cigar hanging from his lips as he sat at his desk. His face was etched with lines, and a few scars. She moved close enough to hear as she saw Johnny and the mystery woman enter the office.

"Johnny Mancusso, the legend really does live." Clint greeted him. "I was beginning to think Jazz was just trying to bullshit her way into an extension."

"Your reputation precedes you too, so I choose my words very carefully." Johnny told him. "I want to do the job."

Clint handed him a piece of paper, at which Johnny let out a long, low whistle.

"These are some pretty serious machines." He told him. "It won't be easy."

"The job wouldn't be worth half a mil if it was." He said gruffly. "10 cars, on the dock by Thursday."

"I'll deliver the cars." Johnny told him.

"Unfortunately there is one more thing I need to take care of." He told him. "Isn't there Jazz?"

She struggled as two men grabbed her, pulling her towards an oil drum sitting next to his desk. They pulled off her rings, before forcing her to lay her hand out on the drum. Clint pulled out a 6 pound lump hammer.

"I told you the next time you came here without my money it would cost you a hand." He reminded her. Jazz struggled against the men holding her to no avail.

"I had heard you weren't the sharpest tool in the box, but I never thought you'd be this much of a dumbass." Johnny stated. The heavies and Clint all glared at him in disbelief.

"I've put people at the bottom of the harbour for less kid." He warned him. "Now, tell me why I shouldn't do the same to you, and I suggest you talk quickly."

"You're asking me to boost 10 top end cars in one night. I can't do that single-handed." He told him. "What use is a car booster with a smashed up hand?"

Clint slammed the lump hammer into Johnny's gut, doubling him over. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"No one talks to me like that." He told him. "Thursday, the cars are on the dock, or you and your little girlfriend here are in the harbour."

"I do this, the debt's gone right?" Johnny asked him in pained gasps. "It's all over."

"You do this, then it's all over." Clint assured him. "Now, get out of my office. If you try to run, we'll hunt you down. I'll kill both of you, and I'll kill your uncle just for the hassle you caused."

"My uncle?" He asked.

"There aren't that many Mancussos in OB." Clint told him. "I suggest you start shopping."

Johnny got to his feet, still cradling his stomach. He and Jazz left the office, and the wrecker's yard.

"Johnny, I..."

"Save it Jazz, I just stuck my neck out for you!" Johnny snapped. "If Liv ever..."

"I already know." She told him, coming into view. Johnny looked between her and Jazz in panic.

"Liv, I...."

"Johnny, we'll talk about this later, but if what I heard is true, if your lives are in danger, I want to help." She told him. "I can't lose you."

"Liv, I don't want you anywhere near this, that's why I never told you." He replied. "These guys are seriously hardcore. Clint isn't kidding around when he says he'll kill us."

"Johnny, you need to steal 10 cars in one night." She reminded him. "I can hack into the DMV and find them. Don't you think that'll speed up the process?"

"Liv, I don't want you involved in this." He told her. "If I screw this up..."

"I will not lose anyone else from my life to violence!" She interrupted him sharply. "Johnny, I love you. I can't lose you."

"Thank you..."

"Save it!" Liv snapped at Jazz, shoving a hand in her face. "You got into this shit, now we have to get you out! I don't want anything to do with you!"

Jazz nodded, hanging her head in shame. She had been telling the truth in what she had said. She didn't want to involve Johnny, but she knew there was no way she could settle the debt by herself. She knew she needed him, and she could understand Liv's attitude. She had dragged Johnny back into a life that he had warned her would either get them arrested or killed.


	4. Preparing for the Boost

Johnny had no problems when he arrived at his uncle's place. His uncle Vinnie usually expected him to screw up anyway, and so he had not been at all surprised to hear Johnny had skipped school. Johnny was in his room when he heard a knock on the window. Turning, he saw Jazz outside. He opened the window, letting her climb in.

"Has Liv e-mailed you yet?" She asked him. Johnny just shook his head, before turning back to his books.

"Not yet." He told her. "Until then all we can do is wait."

"Johnny, you didn't have to take that hit for me." She cooed, moving a little closer on his bed as he tried to concentrate on his Algebra. She stroked his thigh softly with her hand. "I just..."

"Jazz, you can cut that shit out right now!" He stated sternly, grabbing her wrist and doing snatching her hand away from him. "That isn't what this is about."

"Johnny, you left so quickly, we never..."

"Do you remember Jackson?" He asked her. "He was shot dead trying to jack a rush-hour Rambo who kept a magnum in his glove box. Do you remember Yancy?"

"Johnny..."

"He's in a wheelchair with no prospect of getting out of it!" Johnny snapped at her. "Hank's doing five to seven, Flick's doing six years and Max is pushing up daisies!"

"Johnny..."

"You can't keep this shit up Jazz!" He interrupted her angrily. "If you don't end up inside, you'll end up dead. This stuff with Clint is a perfect example."

"Johnny..."

"Why did you do it Jazz?" He asked her honestly, throwing his book aside. "Why did you take a job for The Blue Crew?"

"I just wanted out." She sighed, shaking her head in exasperation as she held her head in her hands. "I just needed to get the hell out of Red Hook."

"You're out now." He commented.

"I'm here on licence because I screwed up a boost." She reminded him. "The only reason I'm not already in a meat factory finding out what a shish kebab feels like is because I said I'd try to talk you into doing the job."

"Jazz..."

"Damn it Johnny, you know me, you know how much I hate owing anyone anything!" She barked in reply. "I never wanted to drag you into this I swear!"

He could see tears welling up in her, and he felt some sympathy for her. He had some understanding of her situation at home.

"He's moved back in." She told him. "Mom took him back."

"Jazz..."

"She never believed me the first time, why would she believe me now?" She asked him. "It was a straight up job for 50 grand. I knew I could set myself up somewhere else for that."

"Jazz, I've seen the list; it was always going to be a tall order." He told her. "There was no way you could have taken it on your own."

"I had to try." She whimpered pathetically, pulling one of his pillows in, hugging it tightly. "I can't go back Johnny, I just can't."

Just then, Johnny's phone bleeped, and he answered it. He saw the message and turned to her.

"Liv has the information." He told her. "She's also grounded for the next two weeks. I owe her one hell of a Birthday present."

"You...you really love her don't you?" Jazz asked him. Johnny could see the desperation in her expression, but he knew too many people had already bullshitted her in her life. He couldn't give her any false hope.

"I do." He told her. "I don't know if she'll forgive me for this, and if she doesn't, I won't blame her. I can't do anything to hurt her."

"But what about me?" Jazz asked him, reaching out. Johnny just grabbed her wrist gently, being careful not to hurt her any further than she already had been.

"Jazz, I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt." He told her. "After this though, what you do is up to you. I'm trying really hard to make a new life out here, and I don't think I can do that with this hanging over me. Once we've dealt with Clint, that's it."

"Johnny, what am I meant to do?" She pleaded with him. Truthfully he didn't have an answer. All his thoughts were on the job he'd have to pull in order to ensure he, Jazz and his uncle didn't end up on the wrong end of a .45.

"Jazz, there's one thing I've learned in all my time out here, we all make our own choices." He told her. "That's up to you. Just know that as bad as thing seemed, there are those who will help."

With that, he went to the window, opening it and climbing out into the night.

Over at the temple, Master Finn and Master Swoop were sparring in a demonstration match for the students. Swoop found his legs swept away from under him and a Shark Sabre levelled at his throat.

"It isn't often I beat you Swoop." He commented. "You must be getting old."

Swoop just laughed as Finn offered him a hand, helping him to his feet.

"I guess you're just a little more motivated than me." He replied. "Of course you do realise Barbra isn't here right?"

On the sidelines, Flit waited patiently.

"So how exactly are we meant to compete with HIM?" One of the students asked. "Everyone knows Master Finn's dedicated his life to training."

"Is that a bad thing?" Jarrod asked him.

"I just mean, if you're against someone THAT obsessed, how are you meant to compete?" He asked.

"How about a demonstration with someone who hasn't concentrated purely on fighting, would that help?" Jarrod asked. "Flit, would you mind giving us a demonstration?"

Flit wasn't sure about this. He wasn't a fighter by nature, though he was highly trained. He was a healer both by training, and nature, but he was also a capable fighter. He looked to Master Finn as he gestured to the sparring platform and felt his heart beating fiercely.

"I'm afraid I..."

"Come on Flit, surely we can go at it for a few rounds." Master Finn told him.

Flit didn't really dislike Master Finn. He respected him as a Master, and more than that, he valued him as a friend. Right now though, he couldn't face him. He felt his muscles tighten up and just shook his head.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." He replied, storming away. Master Finn followed him quickly, hoping to catch him. Jarrod just shrugged. He knew that Flit was dating Michelle, and that Finn's proposal to her mother would likely have created a rift. Right now though, he had a class to worry about.

"Alright, we're going to carry on with two-step sparring." He told them. "Take your partners."

In another area of Ocean Bluff, Johnny crouched down by the hedge near a golf club. He felt a tap on his shoulder and prepared to attack, only to find Jazz there.

"You're getting jumpy in your old age Mancusso." She teased him. "So what are you here to see?"

"Aston Martin DB7." He told her. "It's one of the cars on the list. He's a member here. Liv said he tees off this time every night."

"You're checking out the list?" She asked him. He nodded.

"Like I said, its' a one-shot deal." He told her flatly. "I want this over with quickly and cleanly."

He let out a small sigh, showing her the list. He had underlined one of the cars.

"This one, there's only one registered in the city." He told her. "It belongs to a friend of her family."

Jazz just rested a hand gently on his shoulder. There was a part of her hated dragging him into this situation when he had clearly been trying and succeeding to create a new life. However, he had also been one of the only steady influences in her life. She was desperate to keep him with her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I..."

"Come on." He told her. "We have another address to check out."

By the lake, close to the Temple, Master Finn found Flit washing his face. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"I thought Michelle was taking it well." Master Finn said as he stepped into the grove. "Was I mistaken?"

"Michelle's fine." He told him. "She isn't exactly thrilled her mom's shacking up with you..."

"That isn't what it's like Flit." Master Finn interrupted him. "I love her."

"I kind of got that." He replied. "Can you leave me alone now?"

"It's been a long time since we've had a sparring match." Finn commented, throwing a Jian at his feet.

"Maybe there's a reason." Flit told him. "I'm a healer."

"You've been pissed at me since that night at the apartment haven't you?" Finn asked him. "The night they got the coats mixed up."

"Leave it alone Finn!" Flit muttered, finding his attention drawn to the sword on the riverbank.

"You've not even spoken to me since I let Chelle, Susan and Casey know how I felt about her." He continued.

"It was none of my business." Flit said, his eyes drawn to the inviting handle of the sword. It spoke, almost sang to him as he thought about his situation. He was a peaceful man. He had dedicated his life to healing others, not causing damage, but right now all he could feel was a desire to cause pain.

"It is your business." Master Finn told him. "Casey is her son. Susan and Michelle are her little girls. You're going out with Michelle..."

"It's a lot more than that." Flit told him. "Michelle...I know it didn't start the best of ways, but I...I can't imagine life without her. Even imagining life without her is painful."

"That's what I feel for Barbra." Finn said. He reacted barely quickly enough as Flit heard this. He snatched up the sword and swung it as hard as he could. Finn blocked it just in time.

"It's not the same; it'll never be the same!" Flit yelled passionately. Master Finn knew he had pushed the right buttons to get the truth from him, now all he had to worry about was ending this before someone got hurt.

Johnny and Jazz were sitting in a coffee house, across from a recording studio, timing exactly how long the 1984 Ferrari Testerossa was sitting there. Jazz leaned into him.

"Johnny, I'm sorry for all I've done." She told him.

"I said I'll help you..."

"It's not that." Jazz interrupted him anxiously. "Liv, she's obviously pretty amazing."

"I can't believe my luck." Johnny assured her, turning to look at her. "She's the most amazing person I've ever met."

He could see that Jazz was hurt by this comment. They had been close once, and at one time they were an item. Obviously while he had moved on, circumstances had prevented her from doing the same. Her home situation left her with little if any room to form healthy relationships.

"Jazz, what we had together was great." He told her. "It obviously just wasn't meant to be."

"She's a lucky girl." Jazz said with a smile. "If half the girls in the word ended up with a guy like you, there'd be like a thousand times less problems."

"He's just left." Johnny told her, not wanting to dwell on the conversation. "Let's go."

Back by the lakeside, Master Finn and Flit were exchanging blows in what was meant to be a friendly sparring session, but it was quickly becoming apparent that wasn't the case.

Master Finn heard his swords ringing in impact as Flit drove home his attack. The Fly was not a master. He wasn't even a fighter by trade; he was a healer, though he was well trained in combat. He knew how to defend himself and he knew how to fight. On this occasion though, he was far from friendly, and Finn had an idea why.

Flit let out a yell, slashing carelessly through the air. It caught Master Finn across the arm, slicing through his sleeve and drawing blood.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk to me about Flit?" He asked him.

Flit just threw the sword down in a fit of temper and walked away. Finn rushed after him, grabbing his arm. Flit swung around and smashed him in the face with his fist before he knew what was going on.

"What happened at the apartment, that stole your thunder didn't it?" He asked him. "I wasn't the only one intending to propose that night was I?"

Flit rushed him, his sword levelled at his heart. As Finn flipped him over, twisting him into a painful arm lock. He pulled it hard enough to hyperextend his elbow and shoulder just to make a point, but was careful not to cause lasting damage.

"This isn't you Flit!" He snapped.

"Screw you!" Flit yelled back before he knew what was good for him. Master Finn just hinched in his hold tighter and kneeled down, shoving a knee into his face.

"You meant to ask her to marry you didn't you?" Finn asked him. Flit struggled under his weight for a second, but quickly realised the position he was in.

"What difference...?"

"You wanted to ask her to marry you didn't you?" Finn reiterated, twisting his wrist.

"YES!" Flit screamed back. Finn let him up as he said this.

"I have no business saying anything about it. I'll leave that to Barbra." He told him.

"So you're alright with this?" Flit asked him. Finn nodded.

"You are a fine man." Master Finn replied, letting him go and allowing him to stand. "For what it's worth I couldn't imagine a better son-in-law, but like I said, that isn't my place to say anything."

"When she saw the ring..."

"When Michelle saw the ring and everyone thought it was yours, she was over the moon." Master Finn reminded him. "It is a special moment, and I'm sorry I ruined it, but from where I was standing it looked like she liked the idea."

"She didn't say yes." He replied sadly, rubbing his elbow to return the feeling.

"She didn't say no either." Master Finn pointed out. "I'm sorry if I took the moment away from you, but I'd still suggest it would be worth asking."

Back in the streets, Johnny and Jazz were walking along by the best street in town. This was the last car on the list, and also the last one Johnny would want to steal. There was a Bentley on the list, and the only one in town belonged to Gabby's dad.

As they approached his estate, Johnny stopped by the wall, resting his back against it. He cupped his hands by his legs at which Jazz rushed up to him, using the boost to get up to the top. She rested her feet on his shoulders, using them to hold her up.

"Do you see it?" He asked her.

"Yes, it's just sitting in the driveway." She told him. "If it's there tomorrow night..."

Just then, Johnny's cell phone rang. He struggled, but managed to get it out of his pocket without Jazz falling. She hopped down as he answered it.

"Liv, what is it?"

"Mr. Wallace's car, it probably won't be at his house tomorrow." She told him. "RJ just got the evening paper. Apparently there's some kind of press conference at the motocross track tomorrow. He'll be there with Gabby."

"The Bentley's on the list." He reminded her. "If we don't get it, we may as well not bother turning up with any of them."

"That place will be swarming with cops and journalists." Liv told him. "Johnny, you can't..."

"The plan relies on me taking that car." Johnny cut her off. "I'll just need to be careful."

"But..."

"As Houdini once said, I can't make things disappear, but I can give people something else to look at while I move it." He said with a smirk. "I just need to create a diversion."

Over at the apartment over the Rock Porium, Flit came in, finding Michelle making a start on the dinner. Despite working long hours at the hospital, she loved cooking whenever she could. She often said that she spent so long eating the canteen food; she enjoyed getting to make her own once in a while. When she got an all-too-rare day off, she insisted on doing the cooking.

"Hi Flit." She greeted him as she gazed into the pot.

"Hi sweetie." He replied as he hung up his jacket. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good I guess." She said as she stirred the stew. "I managed to talk to mom on the phone."

"How did that go?" He asked her. Michelle just shrugged.

"It's a little weird to think of her getting married again, but I guess I kind of expected it." She said honestly. "I knew she'd move on eventually."

"Are you alright with this?" He asked her.

"I'm not a teenager anymore. I don't really have a right to throw a hissy fit when my mom starts dating." She told him. "I guess in a way it's kind of romantic..."

"Chelle, about when the ring fell out of Master Finn's jacket." He interrupted her. She paused as she heard him bring this up. "What did you think?"

"I guess I figured you had bought me something." She said, trying not to commit to anything. She had been with Flit now for over a year, and in many ways she had often thought that he was the one for her. She had fantasised about him making things official a few times.

"Did you think it was an engagement ring?" He asked her. She let out a sigh.

"I guess the thought had crossed my mind." She told him.

"Would you have minded if it was?" He asked her. She shook her head slowly.

"I know this thing with your mom..."

"You were going to ask me weren't you?" Michelle said, cutting him off. He paused for a second.

"What are you...?"

"When the ring fell out, Casey apologised to you for ruining the surprise." She reminded him. "You've spoken to him haven't you? You were going to ask me."

"The thought had crossed my mind." He replied. Michelle smiled at him.

"So why haven't you?" She asked him.

"Would you like me to?" He asked in response. Michelle just rolled her eyes and made her way over to him, taking his hands.

"Just get down on your knee." She instructed him. Flit did as he was told, grinning broadly as he did so.

"Michelle Rhodes, would you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" He asked her. She nodded in response.

"Of course I will." She stated happily. Flit just looked a little sheepish as she said this.

"I...uh...haven't bought a ring yet." He told her. "I'm sorry if that kind of ruins the moment."

"Nothing could ruin this moment." She told him, leaning down and kissing him warmly. "It's perfect."


	5. The Boost

It was approaching the end of the school day when Liv came over to Johnny. They had Study Hall together in their last period, and since Liv was grounded for skipping school, this was one of the few opportunities he knew he'd have to speak to her before the job that night.

"So have you got checked out all the addresses?" She asked him. He nodded in response.

"All going well everything should go according to plan." Johnny assured her. "I'm sorry to get you caught up in this."

"I'm going to be spending my fifteenth birthday in the apartment." She reminded him. "Just make sure it's worth my time. If anything happens to you..."

"I've got everything sorted." He replied with as much certainty as he could. "It should be just fine."

"Jazz is really lucky to have a friend like you." She stated, brushing some hair behind her ear with her hand. "Not many guys would..."

"She's just a friend, that's all." He interrupted her, reaching across and touching her cheek softly, turning her to face him. "You're the only girl I think of like that."

He moved in to kiss her, but heard a small cough interrupting him. He looked up, finding Donny standing over him. He was overseeing study hall that day.

"I know that you both take biology, but I doubt that qualifies as studying the subject." He commented. "Save it until after class Mr. Mancusso."

"We will." He replied, turning back to his books. Liv looked at him, feeling her heart deflating. She knew that Johnny had to go through with this. If he didn't, a lot of people were going to suffer. It didn't stop her worrying about whether or not she'd see her boyfriend again.

RJ was working hard in the kitchen when Lily came in. She looked at him a little regretfully.

"Johnny just called; he said he didn't feel right all day." She told him. "He's not coming for his shift."

"I really don't need this tonight." He groaned. Just then, Liv walked in.

"Liv, get changed. We'll need all hands on deck. Johnny just called in sick." Lily told her.

"He didn't seem himself earlier." She replied, sticking with the story they had come up with to cover his absence for the night. "He looked a little pale in study hall."

"Go and get changed." RJ reiterated. "It's going to be a busy night."

Liv just went to her room to change, thinking that he didn't know exactly how right he was.

Johnny was waiting outside a coffee shop across the street from a recording studio when Jazz arrived.

"Do you have your tools?" He asked her. She opened her jacket, showing him the tools. He handed her the list.

"The Audi A8, the Hummer, the Camero, the Mustang GTS and the Aston Martin DB7." She confirmed.

"I'll take the Boxter, the Testerossa, the 'Vette, and the Diablo." He told her.

"What about the Bentley?" She asked him. "If we don't get it..."

"Meet me at the skate park at 9." Johnny told her. "We'll get Mr. Wallace's car then."

With that, she ran off down the street. She had known Johnny long enough to know not to question him while they were on a job. He made his way over to the Testarossa sitting outside the recording studio, and looked around to ensure no one was looking his way, before slipping a Slim Jim out of his inside pocket, popping the lock. Getting in, he closed the door and reached under the steering column, pulling out some wires and started the engine.

"I've still got it." He whispered to himself. "That's one worry out of the way."

Back at JKP, Liv was working hard. As part of her punishment, RJ had put her on dish washing detail. He came in, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Alright my little badger, I think that's enough of the hard labour." He told her. "The dishwasher can handle the rest."

"Thanks." She sighed, pulling off her gloves.

"The press conference is starting soon. I've switched the restaurant TV to the news channel." He told her. "You can watch if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much." She told him. "I'm really sorry about skipping school."

"I was young once too. I know sometimes you make bad choices." He told her. "You're still grounded though."

"I know, I wasn't angling to get out of it." She told him. "I just...It's important to me that..."

RJ pulled her in, hugging her warmly.

"Liv, you're my daughter. I love you; nothing will change that, no matter how much you screw up." He told her. He looked away as a thought grabbed him. "That sounded a lot more comforting in my head."

"I know what you mean. Thanks dad." She replied, releasing him. "Can I serve some tables and earn some tips now?"

"Knock yourself out kiddo." He told her, letting her go.

Johnny rolled up to a container in the docks at 8:30, driving a Lamborghini Diablo, rolling it into the container. Getting out, he checked his watch.

"That makes 9." He stated as the gangsters locked up the container.

"I asked for 10." Clint reminded him as he walked up to him.

"I still have an hour." Johnny replied.

"Just get it here kid." Clint told him. As he turned to walk away, Johnny smiled.

"Could I get a lift to the press conference?" He asked him. Clint just turned around.

"You're asking for favours now?" He said incredulously, lighting a cigar.

"If you want the only Bentley in town within the next hour, I need to get there in the next half hour."

"You've got a pair kid, I'll give you that much." He replied. "Rocco, take him where he needs to go. We'll just take it off your payment."

"I don't want paid." Johnny told him. "I know its worth 50 G's to us, but I don't want it. We do this, blank slate. You don't call us, we don't come back. Is that understood?"

"Just don't disappoint me kid." He replied. "There are about 20 people who know have. They're all taking a dirt nap."

Over at the motocross track, Gabby limped up to her father and Shane, smiling.

"This place looks great." She told her father. "The guys you hired are doing a great job!"

"Well it should be great once the kids start coming back." He assured her. "The foundations have been laid at the store."

"I know, Dom and I swing by whenever we can." She assured him. "This is great!"

"Mr. Wallace, the press have arrived." One of his assistants told him. "It's time."

The three of them went onto a small stage by the main entrance.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming out here." He told the assembled audience. "This youth outreach programme put together by my company is an exciting prospect, and I appreciate all the support."

"Theresa Franks, OB Truth Magazine." One of the journalists announced. "Mr. Wallace, do you really think that encouraging youngsters to participate in high risk sports is a good thing? After all, your own daughter is still in treatment after her accident which occurred on this very track last year."

"I'll take that." Gabby said, stepping up to the mike. "X-games do carry an element of risk, and yes, people get hurt. I know that as well as anyone. My leg was broken in four places, and I only stopped needing a cane to help me walk about a week ago. However, I believe the benefits far outweigh the risks. X-games encourage discipline, focus and exercise."

"Rex Campbell X-sports review." Another chipped in. "Ms. Wallace, your courageous recovery from your injury is an inspiration. I'd just like to ask though, is this passing fancy on your part? Or are you committed to this?"

"I have already arranged the deal with my father to pay back every penny of the set-up costs with appropriate interest. This has always been my show." She assured him. "My dad's company is financing the staffing as part of their community outreach project. That is the only involvement he'll have. Don't worry folks, this isn't a corporate thing. This'll be run BY the x-games nuts FOR the x-games nuts."

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Johnny was standing by the Bentley, checking his watch.

"God Damn it Jazz, shift your ass." He muttered. Just then, rockets launched into the air, exploding loudly. Everyone looked skyward, distracted by the display. Johnny quickly picked the lock and got in.

As he reversed out of the parking space, at which Jazz jumped into the passenger seat.

"You took your time." He grumbled.

"Long fuses." She explained. "Let's just get this back before Clint sends guys looking for us."

As the last of the rockets detonated, Mr. Wallace clapped, turning back to the press.

"Well it seems some of the local X-games fans decided to show their appreciation." He commented. "Are there any more questions?"

Johnny rolled into the harbour with only minutes to go. Clint was waiting for them, casually smoking a cigar.

"You're cutting it fine kid." He commented, coming over to the car, running a hand over it. "Not a scratch, just like the others."

"10 cars, showroom condition on time as agreed." Johnny summarised. "So that's it? We're clear?"

"Not quite kid." He replied, punching him hard in the stomach. Two of his goons grabbed Jazz, holding her steady. Clint kicked him in the face.

"No one plays me kid, NO ONE!" He yelled, throwing his cigar into the harbour. "I make the deals. NOT YOU!"

He made his way over to his right-hand man and patted him on the shoulder.

"Make it quick." He told him. Just then, sirens sounded and police cruisers raced into the dock. His men reached for guns, but the SWAT unit already had them covered, so they thought better of it.

"If you think..."

"Here's the thing Clint, you aren't the only one with friends. I put in a call to Red Hook." Johnny interrupted him. "It turns out your boss Rico only knew about five cars. He was also under the impression you were being paid 2.5 mil, not 5."

He smiled at him one last time.

"He does know now though." He assured him. "He figures that if you've been skimming him like this since you moved out here, you owe him about 10 mil. You better hope the cops send you away for a while to let him cool off because he really wants to talk to you. Something tells me you'll have more to worry about with that than tracking us."

As the gangsters started being taken away, Jazz came over to him, looking shocked.

"Johnny, how did...?"

"Everyone has skeletons in their closet. I just found his." He told her. A police officer came over to him, pulling off his helmet as the last of the gangsters was led away.

"Everything's here just like you said." He told him. "We've been trying to catch this scumbag for years."

"Can I ask one favour Lieutenant?" He asked him. "Do you really need 9 cars as evidence?"

"I can't..."

"I want to take it back to its rightful owner." Johnny assured him. "He's a friend of mine."

"I never saw you." He replied, jerking his head away. "Keep out of trouble Mancusso."

"I intend to." He replied, getting in the Bentley. He reversed, pulling a skilful reverse 180 before speeding away. He knew better than to stick around once things were going his way. It was best just to accept a deal and quit while you were ahead.

The next morning, Mr. Wallace was woken as his wife rushed into the bedroom. He, Gabby and Shane had been forced to get a cab home when his car had been stolen.

"George, look outside!" She yelled. "You won't believe what's happened!"

He looked out the window, and couldn't believe what he saw. Without even stopping to change out of his pyjamas, he ran outside. Gabby and Shane were already there.

His car was parked in the driveway, with a pink ribbon and bow tied around it. Inspecting it closely, he realised that it had been fully valeted inside and out. There wasn't a mark on it anywhere.

"This was on the windshield." Gabby told him, handing him a note. George opened it, reading it.

"Sorry I needed to borrow your car; I've returned it in good condition." He read aloud. "I've enclosed money to cover your cab fare."

Gabby handed him some money that had been in the envelope. George just smiled.

"Well I didn't think I'd be seeing this car again."

In the High School, Johnny was standing by the gates as Jazz came up to him.

"Johnny, thanks for your help." She told him. "I really appreciate you getting Cliff off my back..."

"You're welcome." Fran stated as she arrived. Jazz looked a little worried. "Johnny told me everything."

"Johnny, we were Scot free!" She screeched.

"Jazz isn't it?" Fran asked her. "He only told me because he's worried about you."

"I was serious Jazz, you have to stop this." He told her. "You need to find a new way to go. Mrs. Martin's helped me a lot."

"Do you have someone you can stay with out here?" Fran asked her. Jazz just nodded.

"My uncle lives out here." She told her. "Why?"

"I checked your records." Fran informed her. "If you like I can enrol you here."

"No offence but school isn't exactly my thing." She replied. "You've seen my grades; you know what I'm talking about."

"It might not be, but life has a lot more options if you have a diploma behind you." Fran told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You should at least give it a try."

"Listen to her Jazz, she's pretty cool." Johnny assured her. "She turned me around; she can do the same for you."

"I can if you want it." Fran stated flatly. "What's it to be Jazz?"

"I can't..."

"Johnny told me you aren't going back to Red Hook." She interrupted her. "So what's it to be? Are you going to live rough? Keep this up until you finally get killed?"

"I don't have any money." Jazz told her.

"One of my friends was a cop, she heard from her friends that the cars were all in pretty good shape." Fran said with a smile. "No marks on the locking mechanisms, ignitions or alarms. Someone who can do that has to have a pretty intimate knowledge of engines."

"I guess you can say that." She replied.

"How's your knowledge of bikes?" Fran asked her. Jazz smiled.

"I always did prefer four wheels to two." She commented.

"A friend of mine is opening an extreme sports store soon. She's going to need people who know their way around a bike." Fran told her. "I'm sure we could talk her into giving you a job."

"I don't know what to say." Jazz gasped. No one had ever put themselves out to help her before.

"There's one condition." Fran told her. "You enrol in school. You study and you get a diploma. No more short cuts, no more crime. After you graduate, what you do is your choice. Are we clear?"

"Yes Mrs. Martin." She replied. "So where do I go..."

"Come to the front entrance on Monday morning. I'll get you signed in then." Fran told her. "Enjoy the weekend Jazz."

With that, she left. Fran turned to Johnny.

"Unless I'm mistaken though, you do have classes." She reminded him. Johnny just nodded and turned to leave, only to be turned back as she grabbed his sleeve. "You'll have to get Liv a pretty good gift."

"I intend to." He told her. "I'm saving up for tickets to the Kira..."

"Don't bother with that. RJ and Lily will get her into Kira's concert." Fran told him. "Keep thinking Johnny. You'll have plenty of time in detention."

"I gave the cars back, how is that fair?" He yelled after her.

"You're tardy. First bell rang ten minutes ago." She told him. "I'll see you in detention Johnny."


	6. Dr Jennings' Homecoming

Donny got to the school early on Friday morning, finding the kids in their usual high spirits at the prospect of another week ending. He was looking forward to it as well in all honesty, not just because it meant that he was getting away from the kids for a couple of days, but also because this weekend was the day that Dr. Jennings was being released from the rehab clinic.

He watched Fran pull up in her car, and by the expression on her face, he could tell that she was just as pleased that this weekend had finally arrived as she was. He came over to her as she struggled a little with a couple of boxes of files, catching one as it was about to fall.

"Good hands." She complimented him. "I see you haven't lost your touch since your playing days."

"Well I wouldn't feel right about watching you struggle with all these boxes." He told her. "What is all this stuff anyway?"

"I'm bringing back all of Dr. Jennings' notes and files." She told him. "Believe it or not, this is his paperwork for this year."

"Wow…he really is thorough in his detail isn't he?" Donny commented, adjusting his grip on the heavy box. "I don't make notes half this comprehensive."

"Well he could lean to condense it all a little. It took me weeks to get through all of this." She told him, rolling her eyes. "He's a great teacher, but clerical work definitely isn't his strong point."

They made their way towards the classroom, dodging a couple of students messing around in the hall on the way. Fran saw Johnny talking to Liv, but as soon as he saw her, he straightened up and looked around for somewhere else to be. Although she had only given him detention for one afternoon, purportedly on the grounds of being tardy, he knew she still wasn't happy about his rather foolhardy actions in helping Jazz. She knew he had only done it to help her out of a dangerous situation, but in doing so had put himself in danger, and he had also inadvertently gotten Liv into trouble with Lily and RJ. She was sure Liv hadn't told them the real reason she skipped that afternoon, and she had promised him that she would give her the chance to tell them herself. In the meantime though, she was ensuring that he got the message and didn't do anything like that again.

"So it's the team's first quarter final." Fran stated as they got to her class, resting the box on her desk, shaking her hand to get some feeling back into her fingers. "I guess you're looking forward to taking them."

"Coach Andrews is going to be taking the team." He informed her. "I decided to clear my schedule so I could be there when Dr. Jennings checks out."

"I'm sure he'd really like that." Fran said with a little smile. "Theo and I were going to pick him up. I was planning on taking Algie with us."

"Now I know he'll definitely like that." Donny told her. "He's been eager to meet that little boy of yours for ages."

"I promised him I'd let him see Algie when he completed his treatment." Fran told him. "I guess it's only fair I live up to my side of the bargain."

"Well I really wanted to see him before I went anyway." Donny told her, putting down the box he was carrying. "I'll be leaving at the end of the term."

"Donny…"

"This isn't about…you know…" He began as he realised Fran was going to try and talk him out of it. "I only ever intended to stay until everything was sorted out here."

"They haven't chosen a new principal yet." Fran reminded him.

"I've recommended Dr. Jennings as a substitute." He told her. "If they know what they're doing, they'll probably offer him the position permanently in good time."

"So are you going to take the post in Silver Hills?" Fran asked him.

"I probably will. I've already accepted the position on principal with Dr. Weinberg." He stated. "I could start there as early as the next school year."

"Well I don't think this place will be the same without you." Fran answered honestly. "If it's what you want, I guess I'm happy for you."

"I think eventually we all have to grow up." He told her. "I'm starting to think it is time for me to settle down somewhere."

"Well this place will definitely miss you." Fran replied. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and his receptionist, Lucy came in. She was a tiny, unremarkable woman, who just kind of disappeared into the background most of the time. She seemed more like part of the office furniture in the admin office than a person; most of the teaching staff wouldn't have been able to pick her out of a line-up. Fran could only really remember talking to her about half a dozen times or so.

She was a couple of years older than Fran, and while most would say she was shorter, she would easily be taller than Fran if she stood up straight, instead of walking around in her distinctive, slumped posture. She dressed far out of style for the times, usually dressing more like the students' grandmothers than someone of her age, regularly swathed in cardigans or sweaters that looked more appropriate for a hike across the Andes than sitting in an office. Her shiny, black hair was always tied back out of her face, likely a throwback to Ms. Tenant's insistence on staff dressing professionally.

"Mr. Weaver…"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Donny?" He asked her.

"There's a call waiting on line one. It's from Ms. Pritchard…"

"Not again, I've been ducking her calls all week." Donny groaned. Fran knew that while he was well versed in the politics of the education department, he preferred not to encourage contact with the board. He always said that he found they had a tendency to get involved where they weren't needed and slow everything up. "Make up something and tell her I'll get back to her."

"She said it's important." Lucy stammered out nervously. He just shook his head and sighed.

"It's always important with that old battle axe." He commented. "Tell her I broke my leg and had to be taken behind the barn to be shot."

Lucy nodded in response, struggling not to laugh as she left the room. Donny shook his head in disbelief.

"That woman is so quiet I swear at times I forget she's even there." He commented as she left. "I just wish Ms. Pritchard would take a hint and stop calling though."

"Maybe you should just take her call." Fran suggested. "I haven't talked to her before, but surely she can't be as long-winded as everyone says."

"I was once on the phone to her for two hours about changing a canteen menu." He informed her. "No, if I can put it off until next week, that's what I'll do."

With that, he left the room, leaving Fran to shove the boxes into a cupboard before her first class.

In another part of town, Mr. Wallace drove his car to the building site to check on the progress of the store. Gabby and Dom were in the back. As he rolled onto the site, pulling up to stop, he noticed the site foreman going over some of the plans with one of his labourers. He offered to help Gabby out of the car, but she was determined to appear strong in front of the workmen and pulled herself out of the car. Dom wasn't far behind her.

"Mr. Wallace, we're glad you could come down." The foreman greeted him. George just held up a hand and directed his attention to Gabby.

"I'm just fronting the cash for this; she's running the show here." He informed him. "This is my daughter Gabby."

"Sorry, I've just done so much work for your dad I'm used to dealing with him." He explained, shaking her hand. "So I guess you just wanted to check out what's happening here."

"I thought it'd be good to see what goes into it all." She remarked as she took a hard hat from a nearby work bench. Dom and her dad did likewise, not keen on the idea of letting her wander around a building site alone while she was still technically recovering. "The building's starting to take shape."

"Well it's mainly the shell at the moment; we've been working on the frame in the hopes of getting the whole of the exterior completed pretty quickly so we don't have to leave anything open to the elements for too long."

"Have the utilities people been yet?" She asked him. He looked to George.

"She's your daughter alright; she knows what to look for." He said with a smile. "Not yet, but the electricity board should be able to send someone out to run a lie in the next couple of days, and there's a water main that runs a few yards down that way, so it shouldn't take the water board long to get you hooked up."

"I told you my crew were the best." George told her, putting his arm around his daughter. "You'll be working on the interior in no time."

"Where's Shane anyway?" Dom asked her.

"Knowing him, he's too busy scoping out the skate ramps." She told them. Just then, she saw a young girl running up to them, keeping a little way ahead of the security guard. She skidded to a halt in front of Mr. Wallace.

"It's alright, I have a feeling this is my appointment." Gabby assured the guard, at which he turned and started to walk away muttering. She noticed him limping a little. "I guess you must be Jazz. Fran told me a lot about you."

"What was that all about?" Dom asked her.

"He didn't believe me when I said I was here to see you." Jazz told them. "He grabbed me…"

"Oh crap, I forgot to tell them we were expecting you." Gabby interrupted her, slapping her forehead. Dom just laughed.

"Well between planning meetings, site visits, online courses, wedding planning sessions and hospital appointments, I guess it was only a matter of time before you forgot something." He teased her. Gabby just frowned at him in response.

"This is the girl Fran recommended you hire?" George asked, looking at her with a considered gaze. "Well you certainly did a good job with my Bentley."

Jazz just looked between them in horror as he said this. He just held up a hand as she looked like she was read to run.

"It's quite alright, I got the car back." He told her. "Fully valeted inside and out. I also believe it's had a tune up. It hasn't run so well in years. My garage keeps telling me they can't find anything wrong…"

"Get a new one." Jazz interrupted him, pulling her hair back, looking up at him a little cautiously. "It was a two minute job; it should have taken them a minute to do. The only reason I can think of they didn't is so you'd get it serviced more often."

"I like this kid." George said with a small chuckle. "Not many people would have been that honest with me."

"So Mrs. Martin said you might have a job…"

"Well not yet, as you can see it'll be a little while before the store's finished." Gabby told her. "So are you into extreme sports at all?"

"Are you kidding? Back in New York the cops hassled me for skating in the streets all the time!" Jazz told her, looking past her to the skate park. "If there was anything like that there…well…I'd probably still have gotten into trouble, but that's another story!"

"I like her too." Gabby said, turning to her dad, before offering Jazz a hand shake. "Come back in a few weeks when the store's open."

"Anyway, we should probably be going." Dom reminded her. "You have an appointment…"

"I don't see the physio for…"

"We're meant to be at the baker's in 20 minutes." He reminded her. "I can't believe you were there for an hour last time and you still couldn't make up your mind."

"Oh, but I just want everything to be perfect." Gabby said, pulling her cutest face. "You wouldn't want to deny me that chance would you?"

"Every time." Dom replied, shaking his head slowly. "Alright, we'll take as long as we need to."

"She learned that from her mother." George told him. "I can vouch for the fact it doesn't get any easier to resist."

"Jazz, we're heading across town." Gabby told her. "Would you like a ride somewhere?"

"It's alright, my uncle stays nearby." She told them. "I'll be fine. Have fun at the bakers."

With that, she turned and ran off, likely eager to go before the security guard she had kicked in the shin could get a hold of her without any witnesses.

"She's a bit strange, but I've got a good feeling about her." Gabby told her dad as she got into the car. "Anyway, I hope you're both hungry. If memory serves, they put on quite a spread."

Donny parked up outside the rehab clinic, finding Theo sitting on a bench outside, holding Algie. Donny made his way over.

"I guess Fran beat me to it." He commented.

"She was falling all over herself to get out here." Theo told him. "They still wouldn't let me take him in."

"It's probably for the best." Donny told him. "It might look nice with the throw cushions and everything, but it's not somewhere I'd take a kid."

"Well this should hopefully be the last time we need to come here." He told him.

"I'm just going to head inside and see what's keeping them." Donny replied. "I'll catch you in a little while."

He went inside, only to be approached by an orderly as he got in.

"Mr. Weaver, we were told to expect you." He greeted him. "Dr. Jennings insisted on talking to you in a visitor's lounge before he signed out.

"He did?" Donny asked him. He just shrugged, before following the orderly. He had always known Dr. Jennings to be a slightly odd and eccentric person. Usually it was best simply to humour him when he had one of his ideas. He made his way into the lounge, finding him sitting there waiting with Fran and, completely unexpectedly, Ms. Pritchard. She was a slightly aged woman, somewhere around her late fifties, with silver, curly hair. She was wearing wire-rimmed glasses, and a deep blue trouser suit.

"You're a hard man to get a hold of." She said, gesturing him to take a seat. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."

"The thought would never have crossed my mind." He answered as he sat down. He gave Dr. Jennings a slightly withering look, sensing that this was a set up.

"You can get your lips off my ass Mr. Weaver; we both know that departmental business has never been something that interests you much." She said rather abruptly. He was a little shocked to hear her speaking like that. "We also both know that your best work is in the classroom and the admin office."

"I'm sorry, I'm a little lost here." Donny stated. "What's going on?"

"I came to a decision during my time here." Dr. Jennings chipped in, leaning forwards. "I've had a lot of time to think, and to consider things."

He shifted a little closer, smiling at Donny warmly.

"I remember when I was your age, all I wanted to do was teach. To help young people get the best from themselves, but I had another ambition too." He told him. "I always promised myself I would write a book. I loved books so much; it had always been a dream of mine. Over time though things just kept getting in the way and I just kept saying I'd do it later until one day...I just stopped saying it to myself."

"Dr. Jennings contacted me on Monday." Ms. Pritchard told him. "He has elected to take early retirement."

"Of sorts, I will be happy to stay on the books as an assistant." He informed him. "I just want to take some time for myself before I'm too old to enjoy it."

"Dr. Jennings will be working three days a week directly under the new principal." Ms. Pritchard informed him. "Since that leaves the English teaching position vacant, we have opted to take your recommendation and hire Mrs. Martin to a full teaching contact."

"I'm going to discuss it with Theo, but I'm confident I'll be sending them a signed contract on Monday morning." Fran told him happily, holding up a letter.

"Well I couldn't be happier for either of you." Donny replied.

"I am flattered for the recommendation, but I think this position will suit me much better." Dr. Jennings stated.

Ms. Pritchard handed him an envelope.

"We're very impressed with your track record Mr. Weaver. Every school you've been sent to has made incredible improvements." She told him. "We were starting to wonder if perhaps you would be interested in a permanent position."

He considered it for a moment, looking between Fran and Dr. Jennings suspiciously. He had a feeling that this was largely their doing. He had mentioned to Fran considering taking a permanent position. Although she already knew about the offer he had received from Silver Hills Academy. He knew that Ocean Bluff High would never be able to compete with the kind of salary he had been offered by Dr. Weinberg.

Of course, there was one thing that they couldn't offer. As great as the job in Silver Hills was, he would always be playing second fiddle to Dr. Weinberg. In Ocean Bluff, he could continue to run the show and really put his own mark on things. He reached across the table for a handshake.

"Ms. Pritchard, you've got yourself a new principal."


	7. Traditions

On Saturday morning, Flit and Michelle were around at the apartment over JKP. Mrs. Rhodes had called all her kids around to help her with the preparations for the wedding. Since they didn't really have anyone outside the immediate group that they were intending to invite, they had opted not to hang around, and had set the date for early in April. They were planning on having a small ceremony for just them and the few friends and family on the beach near Master Finn's cabin.

Lily came into the room, finding Michelle and Susan on the couch with their mother, looking at designs for dresses for the bridal party. Mrs. Rhodes had decided that since the wedding was going to be held on the beach, it wasn't really appropriate to wear a proper wedding dress, reasoning that it would only be ruined on the sand. In her mind though, she had another reason for the decision. While her kids had largely accepted the fact that she and Master Finn were getting married in a couple of weeks, she still didn't want to press the issue. Michelle and Susan hadn't been overly thrilled with the idea of her remarrying, while Master Finn had told her about the talk he'd had with Casey. She had decided that wearing her old wedding dress would make them feel uneasy, especially since Casey had admitted to feeling initially like she was replacing his dad.

"How long does it take to put on a suit?" Susan asked, shifting on the couch to look around to the room where Casey and Master Finn had gone to try on their suits. She was in the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy, which had also been a factor in many of the decisions. They had figured out routes to the hospital from the beach, and from JKP where they would be holding the reception dinner. They had also been careful to ensure that she wouldn't have to spend too long on her feet for the sake of comfort.

"Our baby brother spends most of his days in t-shirts and sweat pants." Michelle reminded her, taking a chocolate from the large box on the table they were sharing while they made the arrangements. "You have to expect that he's not used to getting dressed up."

"Well it'll be good practice for him for Gabby's big day." Barbara commented.

"It'll be good practice for me too." Lily chipped in, making her way over with come OJ for them. "I'll be reading two weddings in two months? I guess it'll keep me in practice."

Just then, Master Finn walked into the room, wearing his dress robes. Since he had spent most of his life at Pai Zhuq, he didn't actually own a suit of his own. When he had married his first wife, they had taken their vows at the temple. They were brightly coloured, and carried the insignia of the Order of the Claw on the chest. As he turned around, they saw that it also had a picture of a shark surging through the ocean embroidered across the back. Turning back to them, he made his way over.

"So what do you think?" He asked them. Susan and Michelle didn't know what to say about it. While both of them were, by now, well versed in the traditions and ceremony of the temple, they hadn't figured on something like this. They had pretty much presumed that he would be wearing something a little more like regular wedding garb. Mrs. Rhodes came over to him, kissing him softly.

"You look wonderful." She answered him quietly. Casey walked into the room shortly afterwards, wearing dress robes in a deep red that were somewhat similar in design.

"It took you twenty minutes to get dressed in THAT?" Michelle teased him. "No offence baby brother, but I thought you learned how to dress yourself a long time ago."

"Master Finn just had to convince me to go this route for the wedding." He told them. "I have to admit, I kind of like it. I almost wish I'd considered this for my own wedding."

"Don't even think about it Flit!" Michelle piped up as she saw Flit was about to say something. "I only plan on doing this once, so we're doing it the traditional route."

"You know strictly speaking the traditions of the Pai Zhuq predate Christianity." Master Finn reminded her. "These traditions have lasted a lot longer than what you call a traditional wedding."

"You're really not helping." Michelle warned him. Master Finn just gave out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry; I'll rent a tux when it's your turn." He told her. "This just suits us."

"Well I for one don't mind what you get married in." Susan added, turning back to the magazines. "Just as long as we can pick something that doesn't make me look like a walking circus tent."

"We'll find something sweetie, don't worry so much." Mrs. Rhodes told her daughter, patting her belly. "We wouldn't want the little one to be born with ulcers would we?"

"Anyway, if you guys don't mind, I'm off to see Master Phant." Lily told them, gathering her jacket. "I went through a Pai Zhuq ceremony once, but I'd really like to study up and make sure I do it right."

"I guess you don't want a repeat of Susan's reading." Casey teased her. Lily just jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Don't be a smart ass." She told him. "David's been fed and changed and he's gone down for a nap. He should be good for a couple of hours."

"We'll take care of him." Master Finn assured her. "Give my best to Phant."

In another part of the city, Johnny was wandering around some shops, looking for something to get for Liv's birthday. He only had about a week left to get her a present, and he was determined to get her something good. Not just because it would be the first birthday they spent together, but also because of an element of guilt. As a result of skipping school to help him and Jazz prepare for the boost, she was currently grounded.

As he came to a clothing shop, he looked in the window, hoping to see something she'd like. As he gazed into the window, he didn't notice as Gabby came up behind him.

"Is there something you want to tell us Johnny?" She asked him. He jumped in fright, looking around.

"Excuse me?" He asked her. Gabby pointed to the sign.

"This is a girl's clothing shop." She told him. "Not that I'd think any less of you, I mean it is a new century and all."

"I'm looking for something for Liv." He told her.

"I thought as much." Gabby replied. "So would you like a second opinion?"

"Are you sure you aren't doing anything?" Johnny asked her. Gabby rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, since I started this business venture this feels like the first time I've had to myself in ages." She responded. "It'll feel good to just kind of hit the shops for a bit."

"Well I guess I am kind of new to shopping for girls." He admitted. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Come on, I'll help you find something." She replied, leading him into the store.

Over at Master Phant's cabin in the woods, the Elephant Master was outside tending to his garden when Lily arrived. Looking up, he smiled as he saw her.

"Hello there, this is certainly a pleasant surprise." He greeted her warmly, hugging her as she came up to him.

"Hi Master Phant, sorry it's been a while. This place isn't really easily accessible with David's pushchair." She responded, looking around. "I see you're getting the beds ready for the new season."

"I think it should be a good year." Master Phant told her. "I've got a few projects in mind for the vegetable patch."

"I'd love to hear them." Lily assured him. "Right now though, I was wondering if you'd mind helping me with something."

"What can I do for you?" He asked her.

"Do you remember that you performed a ceremony for me and RJ?" She asked him. "Before the final battle with Dai Shi, you married us?"

"Of course I remember." He replied with a huge grin. "It was one of the greatest honours in my life."

"Well Master Finn asked me to read the ceremony for him and Barbra." Lily informed him. "I think they'd like a Pai Zhuq ceremony. Would you teach me what I need to do?"

He wrapped an arm around her and started to lead her back into his cottage. The ceremony he read for Lily and RJ hadn't been official, they didn't have their marriage licence, and he wasn't recognised by the state as authorised to do so. It had only been a comforting gesture to them before the biggest battle they'd faced. Lily though was still ordained, which meant she was free to read whatever vows the couple saw fit so long as they had a marriage licence and signed the register.

"Lily, it would be a pleasure." He assured her. "I would be more than happy to see the traditions passed on."

Over at the mall, Gabby took Johnny to the food court after their shopping trip. Johnny set down the bag on the floor next to his chair.

"She'll love it Johnny, I'm sure of it." Gabby told him.

"It's pretty much wiped out my savings, but it'll be worth it if it gets a smile out of her." He replied, shoving it under the table. "I do owe her pretty big."

"That's kind of what'll happen if you get her involved in crime sprees." Gabby said gently. "Have you heard from Jazz?"

"I haven't seen her since the day Fran suggested she get a job with you." He told her honestly. "I was kind of hoping to check on her. She ran out of New York pretty quickly. I'd really like to know she's alright."

"Is she really as good with engines as you say?" Gabby asked him. Johnny just nodded as he got up to go and order.

"I'd say she can teach me a thing or two." He assured her. "I'm just going for a burger, would you like something?"

"Just a coffee thanks." Gabby replied, tapping her watch. "I'm meant to meet Shane to go over some design ideas for the shop in an hour."

"I'll be right back." He told her, making his way to the counter. Gabby picked up his bag, looking inside.

"Liv's definitely going to love this." She commented. As she looked up, she had to do a double take. She thought she had seen Jazz over by the entrance to the food court. As she ran to the entrance, looking around, she found no sign of her. Johnny came over, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her. Gabby shook her head.

"It's nothing." She commented. "I just thought I saw someone I knew."

Back at Master Phant's cabin, Lily sat with her head in her hands as Master Phant paced around her, reading from yet another volume. Books of ceremonies and rituals lay all around them. She couldn't remember there being so much to her own ceremony. It was a pretty straightforward, short affair as far as she could remember.

"How on earth did you manage to get all this into your head?" Lily grumbled, stroking her temples as she found herself beginning to get a headache. "The ceremony only took about ten minutes when you did it."

"The ceremony itself is pretty straightforward, it's the rituals before and afterwards that take the time." He told her. "I didn't bother with any of that because I knew it was only an informal thing."

"So you're saying I have to do some kind of preparation?" Lily asked him.

"In order to be able to perform ceremonies, you must first become a Master, that much you've already accomplished." He told her. "The next step is that you must go through the ritual of cleansing to purify your heart and ensure you are open to the harmony of the spirits."

"This is one of the old rituals?" Lily asked him.

"It's been in place since the temple overturned its requirement for its members to take a vow of chastity." He told her. "It predates Christianity by about...8000 years or so."

This made Lily nervous. She knew that the temple had many rituals. Most made sense and were pretty harmless, however some of the older rituals were created in a different time, where strength and drive were determined by what a person was willing to endure to achieve their goals. Some of the older rituals were bizarre, and also harsh, ranging from the physically and emotionally draining, to the outright sadistic.

"What am I looking at?" Lily sighed, resigning herself to this. She knew that it would mean a lot to Master Finn to have another Pai Zhuq ceremony.

"I'll call RJ and let him know you're going to be back after the weekend." He told her. "I'll begin your training after that."

As he left to make the call, Lily shuffled through some of the books, looking for a mention of the cleansing ritual. She wanted to know what she had let herself in for. Somehow she had a feeling she may have acted a little too quickly.

Behind Ocean Bluff Mall, Jazz made her way into the loading area. She had been at the mall, looking around for some inspiration. She was grateful that Johnny had gotten her out of trouble with Clint and his mob, and things were finally starting to look a little brighter than they had. Gabby had offered her a job once the store was open in a few weeks, and Fran had even gotten her a place in school beginning on Monday.

As she got into the alley, she found a man sitting in a corner. He was wearing dirty, mismatched and damaged clothes, and he had long, greasy hair and a moustache and beard that had obviously not been tended to or cared for in a long time. He was wearing fingerless woollen gloves, and his fingers were red as a result of having been homeless and slept through more than one cold night. He clutched the remains of a bottle of gin to his chest.

"Do you have something for me?" He asked her. Jazz knelt by him, reaching into her pocket and pulled out a handful of notes and change she had.

"It was all I could get." She told him. "Not many people leave tips at the food court."

"You said you'd give me twenty." He reminded her.

"I'll get you the rest." She assured him. "Please, just do as I ask."

He smiled at her, before offering her the gin. She held up a hand, shaking her head.

"I don't." She muttered. He just shrugged.

"Just get me the rest by tomorrow." He told her, taking a swig before gesturing to the bottle. "A guy's got to do something to keep warm."

As he left, Jazz wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her jacket around her more tightly. It wasn't the coldest of evenings, but she didn't have much in the way of natural insulation, being so unhealthily skinny. Counting along the units, she prepared to rectify her most immediate problem.

Finding the unit she was looking for, she opened a trash can, finding exactly what she was looking for. It was the back entrance to the food court. She rummaged around inside, looking for containers that still had something in them.

Finding a couple of cartons, she pulled them out, before making her way into the corner recently vacated by the homeless man she had given the money to, pulling open one of them. She had been lucky in this instance; a lot of people were extremely wasteful. The first box she opened had over half a double cheeseburger in it. Jazz shoved it into her mouth, wolfing down the first bite hungrily. Her stomach had been protesting all day, crying out for food. It wasn't the first time she had been hungry, and it certainly wasn't the worst she'd felt. She didn't even notice the taste anymore having subsisted on cold, discarded food from dumpsters and trash cans.

Finishing it quickly, she opened another box, finding a mashed up mess that looked like at one time had been an appetising and appealing apple pie.

"Well my luck's holding out so far." She muttered to herself, shoving some in her mouth. "Now all I need is to find somewhere to sleep tonight."


	8. Jazz's First Day

As Monday morning rolled around, Fran pulled into the parking lot, looking around at the staff spaces, smiling as she saw a sign with her name on it. Since she was now a fully tenured teacher, she no longer had to find a spot in the student parking area, having been granted her own space. As she pulled in, Dr. Jennings came over to her.

"Hi there." Fran greeted him, hugging him. "I didn't know you were back today."

"I just wanted to get an early start." He told her. "My regular working days will be Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday, but I wanted some time to get my desk set up."

Donny arrived shortly afterwards, finding them talking.

"So how is our new principal?" Dr. Jennings asked him. Donny smiled.

"I'm getting used to the idea that I'll be staying here long-term." He admitted. "I'm calling an all-school assembly at the end of the day to keep the kids informed."

"I'm sure they'll all be as happy about this as we are." Fran replied. "You've done great work here."

"Well if you'll excuse me, I have a new student to sign in." He told them, making his way into the building.

Arriving outside his office, he found Jazz sitting on a chair in the hall waiting for him. He furrowed his brows as he saw her there.

"I'm guessing you're Jasmine Kilbride." He commented, shaking her hand.

"Everyone calls me Jazz." She told him as he led her into his office. Donny gestured for her to sit down.

"I was told you were staying with your uncle." He continued. "I need his signature on the form to enrol you."

"He wasn't feeling well, he couldn't leave the house." Jazz lied expertly. She slipped him a piece of paper with a number on it. "He said you could phone him."

Donny picked up the phone and dialled. It rang for a few moments, before being answered.

"Hello?" The man on the other end answered. Donny looked to Jazz, who was giving nothing away. She knew that the school would need to check up on her legal guardian, but she was already a step ahead.

"Hello Mr. Kilbride, this is Mr. Weaver, the principal at Ocean Bluff High School." He began. "Your niece asked me to call you."

"Yes, I was feeling pretty sick this morning." He replied.

"It's just that we need your signature on the enrolment form." Donny told him.

"Just send it over." He replied. Jazz listened in, satisfied that her plan appeared to be working. The phone number she had given him was, in fact, the number for a call box just outside the mall. Jazz had stolen enough money to bribe a homeless man to wait for the phone call and pretend to be her non-existent uncle. "I'll sign it and send it back."

"Well this is a little irregular." Donny commented, looking at Jazz with a considered gaze. He wasn't overly happy about this, but he had always believed in giving the kids a chance, and giving them the benefit of the doubt. He just shrugged. "Alright, I'll have Jazz bring you the form when she gets home."

He hung up, and handed her the enrolment form, before searching his desk.

"I managed to get your old school to forward your grades." He informed her. "I've noticed a lot of absences; you're missing a few vital credits."

"It wasn't a great year." Jazz admitted.

"Well you have a couple of options. We can get you some make-up tests to catch you up on the missing credits." He told her. "Either that, or we could always put you into summer school."

"I'd like the tests." Jazz told him. Donny smiled.

"I thought you might say that." He responded. He had yet to meet a kid who actually wanted to spend their summer in classes. "It'll be hard work; you only have a few weeks to the end of term. If you don't make up the credits, you'll have to repeat next year."

"I'll do what I can." She told him. He noticed that she wasn't carrying a bag.

"Do you have any books?" He asked her. Jazz just shook her head.

"They're all back in New York." She informed him. Donny went to a cupboard, reaching inside and pulling out a couple of battered, tatty old books, repaired with a heavy application of tape.

"These have seen better days, but I'm sure you'll get good use out of them." He told her, handing them over. "You're locker is number 718. The default code is 0001, and the instructions to change the combination are inside the door. Welcome to Ocean Bluff High."

Jazz shook his hand. Donny pressed the button on his intercom.

"Lucy, would you send Johnny in please?" He asked her. Johnny came into the room.

"I understand you already know Mr. Mancusso." He stated, gesturing to Johnny. "Johnny, I doubt I have to ask you, but you have all the same classes as Jazz here. Would you and Liv mind showing her around?"

"No problem Mr. Weaver." Johnny replied.

"Oh, I need to see you before you go home this afternoon." Donny informed the massive teenager. "Would you mind meeting me in shop class after assembly?"

"Sure thing Mr. Weaver." Johnny replied, a little curious as to what exactly he could want to see him for. As they left, Donny turned his attention to his paperwork.

Lily made her way back into JKP with Master Phant after her weekend training in the rituals of marriage in Pai Zhuq. RJ saw her and could already tell that it had been a hell of a weekend for her. She looked more than a little dishevelled; she had dark circles under her eyes, and seemed a bit pale as a result of exhaustion.

"How did training go?" RJ asked her. Lily just looked at him a little wearily.

"I managed to learn what I needed to." She muttered. "Remind me of this the next time I ask about rituals in the temple."

"Some of the rituals are pretty brutal." RJ replied.

"I really hated the cleansing." She remarked. "That waterfall was bloody freezing."

RJ looked to Phant.

"You know, she has to recite the oath of the heart while the waterfall washes away any impurity in her heart." He reminded him. RJ just nodded.

"I'm going upstairs." She stated, kissing RJ on the cheek. "I'm hungry, I need a hot bath, and I need to sleep for a week."

As she left, RJ stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Master Phant.

"You know, I don't actually remember the ritual involving a waterfall." He commented quietly. Master Phant just laughed.

"Of course Lily didn't know that." He replied. "Let an old man have some fun would you?"

"Your sense of humour is evil Phant." RJ laughed as she turned back towards the kitchen. "For your sake you better hope Lily never finds out."

Jazz, Johnny and Liv made their way into the school canteen as lunch time rolled around. Jazz was a little nervous by this point. She had no idea how she was going to explain the fact she wasn't eating to them. She didn't have any money to pay. She could have probably stolen some sandwiches or some fruit cups, but with Johnny and Liv so close, she knew they would spot her. There was no way she'd be able to explain.

"It looks like its chilli dogs today." Johnny commented cheerfully. "They smell great."

Jazz had to admit that he was right about that, it did smell pretty good. Of course that only made things worse. She hadn't eaten since the day before, and her stomach was beginning to get sore as it cried out to be fed.

"Have anything you'd like." Liv told her. "It's my treat."

Jazz looked at her a little curiously. She was grateful, but she didn't understand why Liv would help her out like that. Since she had rolled into town, she had caused Liv nothing but trouble. She was still grounded as a result of that.

"I figure if you're going to stick around, maybe we need a fresh start." Liv explained, seeing Jazz's reaction. "Johnny told me you were close once, I figure I should make an effort."

"Thanks, I'll take two dogs." She replied. "Thanks for that."

"So how do you like it so far?" Liv asked her.

"Everyone seems pretty nice so far." Jazz told her. "The gym teacher wanted me to try out for the cheerleading squad, but school spirit was never my kind of thing."

As Liv paid for their dinner, Jazz realised how lucky she had been on this occasion. She knew she couldn't rely on that kind of luck on a regular basis. All she could do right now was be grateful that she could eat now. There was no guarantee when she would be able to do so again. Johnny sat down, his plate loaded with food.

"Four chilli dogs?" Liv asked him.

"I'm hungry." He protested. "You know I'm going to use up all that energy later."

"Alright, I really don't need the details." Jazz replied, holding up her hands.

"No, it's nothing like that. He means when we're training with dad later." Liv explained.

"Training?" Jazz asked him. "What kind of training?"

"RJ trains us in Kung Fu." Johnny explained. "I've been doing that for a few months now."

"I guess a lot has changed since you came here." Jazz commented. "You know, I think I'm going to like it here."

Lily came into the restaurant after the lunch rush, having fully rested. Gabby and Dom were working, covering her shift while she recovered from her long weekend of training.

"So you've finally woken up." Gabby greeted the Yellow Ranger. "I heard your weekend was a little rough."

"I swear, if I didn't love my father-in-law so much..." She commented, shaking her head in disbelief. "I thought the Master's trial was rough."

"Maybe you're just getting soft in your old age." Dom suggested as he joined the conversation. "Jarrod and I went through that ritual when we took the jobs at the temple. It was pretty easy."

"Easy?" Lily asked him. "So you call sleeping under the stars with no blankets easy? You think spending two hours reciting the oath under a freezing cold waterfall is easy?"

"Sleeping under the stars? Waterfall? What are you talking about?" Dom asked her. "All we had to do was meditate until we got a vision and recite the oath."

"But Master Phant..." Lily's words tailed off as the penny finally dropped. She knew Master Phant had a slightly wicked sense of humour. He had tortured Dom for a long time when he was trying to pluck up the nerve to tell him about his relationship with Gabby. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Trust my Uncle to pull something like that." Gabby said in a small laugh. "I know all about his sense of humour."

"I swear, after what he made me do..."

"Lily, calm down." Gabby told her. "I know you want payback; I just think there's a better way to go about it."

Lily smirked as she heard Gabby say this. Dom just shook his head in disbelief.

"Why can I see this not ending well?" He muttered under his breath.

At the end of the school day, Johnny made his way into the shop class, finding Donny waiting for him, sitting on the hood of his car.

"You said you wanted to see me." Johnny reminded him. Donny just hopped off the car.

"I have it on good authority you'll turn 16 over the summer." Donny told him. "That means next term you'll be eligible for driver's ed. It also means you'll be able to work on cars in shop."

"I'm looking forward to that." Johnny told him with a smile. Donny pulled out a letter and handed it to him.

"I just wanted to give you this." He told him. "Every year, I like to give a special award to the student with the most improved grade point average. I would have given it to you in assembly, but I know you're not really into making a big deal out of these things."

"Thanks Mr. Weaver." Johnny replied, a huge smile crossing his face. "I can't believe this, my mom and dad are going to go nuts!"

"You've done so well across this year; I wanted to give you something. I think a little reward is due." He responded, handing him a set of car keys. Johnny looked to the Cadillac, and back to Donny. He had helped him fix some of the vandalism a few times across the year.

"You're giving me a car?" Johnny asked him.

"It's a complete rust bucket, but it's a good frame. It should work as a good foundation for your shop class project next year." Donny told him.

"But this is your car..."

"Do you remember I told you there were two rules to doing my job?" Donny asked him. Johnny cast his mind back to the first time he helped Donny replace his tyres."

"Yeah, you said you can never worry about being popular." Johnny replied. "But...you never told me the second rule."

He pointed out the window. Johnny looked out, seeing a gleaming, blood red Ford Shelby Mustang GTO sitting in Donny's parking space. His mouth hung open in shock.

"Never let the students see your real car." He told him. "Every time I went to a new town I'd buy a rusted up P.O.S. for a couple of hundred bucks from the back page of a car magazine and stock up on spare parts. That way when the kids started taking their frustrations out on my car..."

"They only mangled the wreck." Johnny said with a smile.

"I'm not moving around anymore, and I think I can trust you little monsters with my baby." He told him, slapping Johnny's shoulder warmly. "Enjoy working on the car next year."

Over by the mall, Jazz went around the back to search the trash for something to eat. Stopping by the trash behind the food court, she opened the lid.

"Cold pizza, there's nothing like it." She muttered, finding a box with a couple of slices in it. "Pepperoni, well I guess it'll do."

"Hey, get away from there!" She heard someone yelling. Turning around, she saw a fast food worker taking out some trash. "Go on, get out of here!"

Jazz dropped the box in her hurry to get away. She knew that it was unwise to hang around once she had been spotted. A lot of fast food places thought it was unseemly to have homeless people raking through their trash for food. So far she had been chased away from more than a few such places. One time a chef had chased her for three blocks with a meat cleaver to drive her away.

She ran as quickly as she could, stopping only once she was sure she wasn't being followed. Finding a spot with a little shelter in a back alley, she settled down, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't eating that night.

She pulled out a book and settled down to attempt to study for her make-up tests. By now she was used to ignoring her hunger. Right now, all she could do was find something else to concentrate on.


	9. Liv's Birthday

The following morning, Liv woke up in her bed, turning over to switch off her alarm clock, and found herself smiling broadly as she did so. Although she was still grounded, she had been waiting for this day for a long time. There was a small knock on the door.

"Liv, is it alright if we come in?" RJ asked her. She pulled herself up to sit on the bed, and pulled the blankets up a little.

"I'm fine, come on in." She invited them. RJ opened the door, making his way inside slowly, carrying a tray, carrying a stack of fresh blueberry pancakes and a glass of orange juice. Lily followed him, carrying David in one hand, and a large present wrapped in brightly coloured paper in the other.

"Happy birthday." They called out together. David tried his best to join in, clearly caught up in the excitement of the moment of his sister's celebration. Liv smiled broadly as she saw them all in her room.

"Thanks guys!" She replied as Lily handed David over to her. He had a drawing clutched tightly in his hand which he waved around for her. "Is this for me?"

"He drew it for you last night." Lily told her. Liv looked at the drawing, gasping in excitement for her brother's gift.

"Oh thanks David it's great." She told him, kissing his forehead gently. "Thanks a lot little guy."

"We got you this." RJ told her as Lily handed over the gift. Liv tore open the paper, before flipping the lid off the box. She pulled out a set of silk training robes, patterned in black, and trimmed in white as befitted her animal spirit. She ran her fingers across the Order of the Claw insignia on the breast. "Happy birthday kiddo."

"It's amazing, I love it." Liv replied gleefully. "I can't wait to try this out."

"Well you're 16 now." Lily reminded her. "You have to look the part if you're going to be a true cub."

"We'd like you to put off wearing it for the first time until the wedding though." RJ told her. "Your grandfather will love it if you're there in your robes."

"I'll do it." Liv told them. "This is amazing."

"Well it's only part of your present." Lily told her, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out an envelope and handing it to her. Liv tore it open carelessly, looking inside.

"Kira Oliver tickets!" She shrieked. "These have been sold out for months!"

"Well, if you look carefully, these are a little special." Lily told her. Liv inspected them in more detail, her eyes shooting open wide.

"Backstage passes?" She gasped, looking up at them. "How on earth did you get these?"

"Let's just say we have friends in high places." RJ told her. "When you see her, tell her we say hi."

"You know Kira Oliver?" Liv asked them in disbelief, before shaking her head clear and gesturing them in for a hug. "This is amazing, thank you!"

"You're welcome kid." Lily assured her. "Anyway, we'll leave you to enjoy your breakfast and get cleaned up."

"Uh, mom there's one problem." Liv told her. She held up the tickets. "The concert's this weekend, and I 'm still grounded..."

"We talked about it." RJ sighed, looking to Lily and back to Liv. "We're still not happy that you skipped school, or that you didn't come to us for help when you found out about Jazz, but we think you've learned your lesson." He told her. "If we have your word that this won't happen again, we'll lift your punishment Friday. That'll let you go Saturday."

"Enjoy your breakfast Liv." Lily told her. "I'm heading to the mall early today, so I can drop you at the school on the way."

"Thanks mom." Liv replied happily, hugging them all once more. "This is the best birthday ever."

In another part of town, Jazz was waking up to a decidedly different experience. She had managed to find a Y that wouldn't ask questions that allowed her to get a shower, and she had managed to find a charity donations dumpster that wasn't locked in any serious way, allowing her to secure a change of clothing. She only had a small bag of clothes with her when she left New York, and until she could rustle up enough change to go to a Laundromat, turning up in dirty clothes would likely draw too much attention to her situation. She was already aware that only having about four different outfits would probably also raise some suspicion, and so she helped herself to a few outfits. Although she was sealing, the collection was for the homeless anyway, and right now that was her. That was how she reasoned it out anyway.

She crept into the loading area around the back of the mall cautiously on this occasion. Having been chased out of there the day before, she wasn't keen to repeat the experience. At least this time the worker hadn't seemed to want to hurt her, just get her to leave their garbage alone.

Waiting until she saw the guy taking out some trash leave, she satisfied herself no one was looking and scurried over to the trash, and pulled opened it, finding a full box of jelly donuts. Pressing them with her finger, she found them to be a little tough and stale, but they appeared to still be edible.

"It looks like this is my lucky day." She whispered with a smile, shoving one into her mouth, before scurrying away with the rest.

Johnny was pacing nervously at the school gates, waiting for Liv to arrive. He was carrying the bag from the clothing store, still grateful for the help Gabby had given him in choosing a present. It had been expensive, but he was just looking forward to seeing how she reacted when she got it. He saw Lily's car rolling up, and Liv hopped out.

"How's the birthday girl?" He asked her, making her way over and greeting her with a soft kiss.

"I'm great; this morning's been really great already." She answered him. Johnny held up the bag for her to see.

"I got you something." He informed her, handing the bag over. Liv smiled broadly. She reached inside, pulling out a black leather jacket.

"Johnny this is amazing, this had to cost you a fortune." She gasped; quickly whipping off her own jacket, before putting on the one Johnny had bought for her.

"I had a little help picking it out." He told her. "Fortunately one of the sales girls was about the same size as you."

"Johnny I love it, thank you!" Liv yelled, hugging him tightly. "Oh, you will never guess what we're going to be doing on Saturday."

"I'm guessing we'll be going to the Kira Oliver concert." He responded. "I had tried to get you tickets, but your mom told me she had managed to get some..."

At that point, Jazz arrived, accidentally bumped into Johnny.

"Sorry Johnny, I didn't see you there." She muttered.

"Well I can understand that, I mean I am only 6' 4"." He replied with a small, sarcastic laugh. "I can see how I'm so easy to miss."

"Hi Jazz, did you see what Johnny bought for me?" Liv asked her, hugging him tightly. Jazz just looked around, noticing the new jacket.

"Yeah, it's really nice." Jazz told her. "What's the occasion?"

"My favourite girl just turned 16." He told her. "Yes that's right; I'm dating an older woman."

"Hey, there's only a little over a month between us." Liv reminded him.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He responded. It was only then he noticed that Jazz was breathing a little deeply, and was quite pale. "Jazz, is everything alright?"

"I'm fine." She told him. "I think I'm just coming down with something."

"You don't really look that good." Liv commented, coming to her new friend's side. Jazz just looked away from her.

"I'm fine, I just..." Jazz grip on her books failed and she clutched her stomach, her face contorting in pain. She appeared to be sweating badly. Johnny caught her, holding her up.

"Something's wrong, Liv go and get help." Johnny told her. Jazz yelled out in pain, clutching her stomach more tightly as waves of agony coursed through her. She vomited over Johnny, but he just held her as she fell to her knees, unconcerned with the state of his clothing. Donny rushed over with Liv as he saw the commotion.

"What's happening?" Donny asked them.

"I don't know, she looked a little sick, and then she just started throwing up." Johnny informed him. "She seems to be in pain."

"Hold her steady. I know a little first aid." He told him. "Jazz, I need to take a look at you, do you understand?"

Jazz nodded weakly as he straightened her out as much as he could, pressing her stomach gently. Her flesh was cold, and clammy to the touch. Every time he touched her he seemed to cause her stomach more pain.

"What's wrong with her?" Johnny asked him.

"I don't know, but it's clear this is too serious to deal with here." Donny told him, pulling out a cell phone. "Hello, I need an ambulance at Ocean Bluff High School."

Johnny held her gently, holding her gently as Donny gave information to the operator.

"She's exhibiting signs of intense abdominal pain and she's sweating badly." Donny told them. "We'll need to transport two students..."

"Wait, two?" Liv asked him.

"There's no reason for you to miss school, we'll keep you posted." Donny told her. "Johnny, she threw up on you. We don't know what she has; we need to make sure she hasn't passed anything on to you."

A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived. The paramedics came over, carrying a stretcher.

"Her name's Jazz, she collapsed a couple of minutes ago." Donny informed them. "She threw up and she's been complaining of stomach pains."

"We'll take it from here." The paramedic told him. He looked to Johnny, seeing the stains on his shirt. "We'll need to take him too."

"I understand." Donny replied. "I'll follow in my car, Johnny, you go with her."

Liv watched as Jazz was rolled onto the stretcher and loaded into the ambulance. Johnny wanted to reassure her, but he knew that if it was possible he had been contaminated with something, touching her could risk her being infected. Instead all he could do was dutifully get into the back of the ambulance.

"Everyone get to class, everything's being handled here." Donny told them. He looked to Liv. "I promise I'll keep you posted. I'll call Mrs. Martin when I know what's going on."

With that, he made his way to his car to follow.

Susan was sitting on the couch in the apartment above JKP, helping her mother look through some recipe books for ideas of what she wanted to have prepared for the meal after the wedding.

"Finn was trying to convince me to go for a fish main course." She informed her daughter. "Personally I think he's just trying to find an excuse to go fishing before the ceremony."

"Well I guess it's one way for him to spend his bachelor party." Susan replied with a shrug. "I guess you're looking forward to moving in after the ceremony."

"I am." Her mother replied. "It's been a long time since I shared my home with a man."

"Well I can't wait until the little one's born." Susan commented. "I know he comes by almost every day, but it isn't the same. I just want to get back home to Jarrod."

"It's natural to feel that way." Barbara assured her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my baby's due in a couple of weeks and is showing no sign of trying to get out." Susan grumbled. "I know I'm meant to be patient."

"Well patience never really was one of your strong points." Barbara laughed in response. "I think I'd like Johnny to see if he can rustle up something for the soup. I might just have to ask him."

"I'm sure he'd love that." Susan replied. "I know RJ tries to include him, but sometimes I get the feeling he feels a little left out."

Over at the hospital, Donny was waiting out in the hall when Johnny arrived, having changed into fresh clothing. His uncle had arrived with fresh clothes when he heard what had happened.

"So what's the verdict?" Donny asked him.

"I feel like a pin cushion. They took a load of tests, but they said they're happy." He told him. "They're confident there's no risk of hepatitis."

"Well that's one less thing to worry about." Donny told him. Just then, Michelle arrived, finding them waiting.

"How is she?" Johnny asked her. "What's happening?"

"Johnny, how well do you know her?" Michelle asked him.

"I've known her for years." He replied.

"The thing is, we've had very real problems here. I checked her background to find her next of kin. Since she's under 18, her guardian needs to be contacted." Michelle told him.

"She said she's staying with her uncle." Johnny informed her. "I don't know where he lives though."

"We found her enrolment form in her possessions, there was a name and address." Michelle informed them. "However, when we checked, it appears no one's lived at that address for many years."

"I don't understand." Donny told her. "I spoke to her uncle on the phone yesterday..."

"I had some of my sister's old friends at the precinct run a background check." She interrupted him. "She doesn't have an uncle. Her mother was an only child, and her father has a sister who lives in Germany somewhere. She doesn't have any relatives here."

"So who's she been staying with?" Johnny asked her. Michelle just shook her head.

"Her symptoms have started to ease up now; it's beginning to look like she was poisoned." Michelle informed them. "I saw it all the time back home. It's pretty common among the homeless."

"Homeless?" He asked her. "Being poisoned, what does that have to do with anything?"

"A lot of restaurants try to discourage homeless people from going through their trash." Michelle explained. "Sometimes they fill the bins with bleach or cleaning fluids to render the food inedible, but some places just spray the food, so when someone hasn't seen them doing that..."

"They eat the food and get sick." Donny concluded, looking regretfully to the door to her room.

"Someone could be killed." Johnny responded in disgust. "I can't believe they're allowed to do that."

"They aren't." Michelle told him. "Unfortunately most places that do that are never found out."

"I can't believe I didn't figure this out." Donny muttered, unable to believe he had been deceived so easily.

"Jazz is pretty slippery when she wants to be." Johnny added, consoling Donny over his failure to realise that she was in difficulty. "I've known her for years, and I didn't have a clue. If she doesn't want you to know something about her...she can be pretty evasive. She keeps a lot of stuff to herself."

"What was her home life like?" Michelle asked him. "Her mother's still in New York, if she's all the way out here..."

"She and her mom haven't been close in a long time." Johnny informed them. "She never talked much about her family, but she always told me she and her mom never got along. She got together with some deadbeat a few years ago who gives her a hard time."

"So what do we do now?" Donny asked her. "We have to report this."

"We should talk to her first." Johnny cut him off abruptly. "If she hasn't talked about this, then obviously something's pretty seriously wrong."

"Johnny she's underage." Donny reminded him. "She needs a parent or guardian to look after her. I have a responsibility for her welfare; I need to tell the authorities..."

"Did you ever stop to consider what she's running from?" Johnny asked him. "I don't know much about her home life, but if she left her mom's place like that, if she's been living on the streets, then she's obviously running from something."

"Either that or she was thrown out." Michelle added, getting in between them. "Johnny, the fact is Donny's right. If we don't report this to the authorities then we're guilty of negligence. We could lose our jobs."

"Fine, but talk to her first." He suggested. "Maybe she'll tell us what's going on..."

"I think I might know." Michelle said sadly. "I found something else when we were treating her for the poisoning. It seems she has recently suffered a miscarriage."


	10. Jazz's Explanation

Jazz woke up, stirring slowly as she became aware of another person in the room. She looked up to realise that Donny was standing over her.

"Don't try to get up." He warned her. "The doctors just want to make sure whatever you've eaten is completely out of your system."

"It feels like everything I've eaten for the last year is out of my system." She grumbled as Dana came back into the room, carrying a chart. "What happened?"

"It looks like you were poisoned." Michelle told her. "I found some of it in your blood sample. It shouldn't cause any lasting damage, but it can't have been pleasant."

"I can think of a lot of other words I'd use for how I feel." Jazz told them. "So can I get out of here?"

"Jazz, we know you don't have an uncle out here." Michelle informed her. "I've seen this kind of poisoning before. It's pretty common. It's usually the result of eating food from the trash that's been sprayed to discourage dumpster divers."

"I didn't..." She started to protest, but Michelle just gave her a look that let her know it was pointless. "Alright, I don't have an uncle out here."

"You've been living rough haven't you?" Donny asked her. She just nodded in response. "Jazz, you're underage. Without a legal guardian, we can't just send you back out onto the street. We've got a duty of care to you."

"We're currently trying to make contact with your mother." Michelle informed her. Jazz just shook her head.

"My mom won't want anything to do with me." Jazz sighed. "She was the one that kicked me out."

"Was it because of the pregnancy?" Donny asked her. Jazz looked to them both, her eyes wide in horror, but again realised that it was pointless to try and deny anything. She nodded again. "Does she know about the miscarriage?"

"It happened after I left." She muttered. "I haven't seen her since I left New York."

"What happened?" Donny asked her. Jazz just shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it." She told him. Donny took a deep breath as he tried to think of a way to get her to reconsider.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's happened." He reminded her. "I have to alert child services."

Jazz just sank down onto the bed and turned over, pulling the covers over her head. Donny and Michelle just looked at each other, unhappy with the way this had ended. Johnny had warned them that she could be evasive. Obviously they didn't know the full story behind what had happened in New York, and Jazz had no intention of telling them. It was a shame that they had to get the authorities involved. If they did, they doubted it would be long before she ran off again, and it wasn't like they could watch her 24/7. It seemed like there was nothing they could do to stop her.

Johnny made his way into JKP, at which Liv came over to him. He slumped down into a booth as he tried to get his head around everything.

"I picked up your assignments." She told him. "How's Jazz?"

"She was poisoned." Johnny informed her.

"Poisoned?" Liv asked him. "Is she alright? How did this happen?"

"She was dumpster diving for food. It seems wherever she went for food has been spraying their trash with cleaning fluid." He informed her. "She was pretty ill, but she's a lot better now."

"I'm glad to hear that." She replied quietly. "Why would anyone poison the food in their bins?"

"According to Michelle it's pretty common." Johnny said regretfully. "Apparently a lot of places do it to stop homeless people from hanging around making the place look bad."

"Jazz is homeless?" Liv asked her. "I thought she had an uncle she was staying with."

"I did too. It seems she's been living on the streets for months." He told her sadly. Liv could tell he was distracted by something, and just held him comfortingly.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked him. He just laughed.

"I feel like a class one idiot for not figuring this out a lot sooner." He admitted. "I know she's always been slippery, but I always thought I should have known something."

"She had us all fooled." Liv assured him. Johnny couldn't help feeling guilty about taking comfort in her arms. Although he loved her dearly, he had kept one part of the story from her. He hadn't told her about Jazz's pregnancy. It terrified him that he might lose her over a relationship that had been over for about a year. He needed to know for sure what had happened to his old friend, most importantly; he needed to know the truth about the identity of the father.

"Liv, I have some stuff I need to deal with." He told her. "Would you mind covering for me tonight?"

"Sure, I'll take your shift." She responded as she looked at him a little worried. "You'd tell me if something was bothering you right?"

Johnny just leaned in, kissing her softly with a smile on his face as he parted from her.

"You're amazing. I don't know what I've ever done to deserve you." He commented as he left. RJ came over with a curious look on his face.

"Where's Johnny going?" He asked her. "He's on shift tonight."

"I'm covering for him." She replied. "He didn't really feel up to his shift after what happened with Jazz this morning."

"I guess I can understand that." RJ answered with a shrug. "How is she?"

"Apparently she's going to be fine." Liv told him, shaking her head in disbelief. "They found out she's been living on the streets."

"She has?" RJ asked in response. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"RJ, is there something we can do for her?" She asked him. "We can't just let her..."

"Liv, she has a family of her own." RJ reminded her. "They need to try and work this out for themselves."

"Dad, if she ran away, maybe there's a reason." She suggested. "I get the feeling there's a lot more to this than we know."

"Child services will be involved by now. If something's going on, they'll figure it out." He stated flatly. "It's terrible what's been going on, but this really isn't any of our business."

"What about what happened with me?" Liv asked him. "A lot of people would have said that was none of your business."

"Liv, that was different." He told her.

"How exactly?" Liv asked him. "How exactly is this different?"

RJ tried to answer, but he found that he couldn't. He just sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not going to win this am I?" He asked her quietly. "I'll talk to Michelle and Donny, see if there's something we can do to help."

Back at the hospital, Michelle was just in her office, getting her jacket on when Johnny arrived, chapping the door softly.

"Hey Johnny, I guess you're here to see Jazz." She commented.

"Sorry to catch you on your way out, I was just having a little trouble finding her room." He told her. "I guess she was moved."

"No, she's in the same room she was this morning." Michelle replied, her brows furrowing. "She's just down the hall."

They both realised what had happened and rushed to the room, finding it empty. Michelle checked the cabinet next to the bed.

"Her stuff's gone." She muttered. "Where will she have gone?"

"She didn't have money, so she can't have gone far." Johnny told her. Just then, a security guard ran into the room, finding Michelle.

"Dr. Rhodes, have you seen anyone acting suspiciously?" He asked her. "A couple of the residents have reported having money taken from the locker room." Michelle just looked to Johnny.

"What do you think are the odds this is a coincidence?" She asked him.

"She can't fly; no airline would let her on by herself." He told her. "You call the train station. I'll head to the bus depot."

Over at the bus station, Jazz clutched her few meagre possessions closely as she sat on a bench, waiting for the announcement of her bus.

She had managed to break into the locker room and steal enough money to get herself a bus ticket to the next city. She didn't really care where she went; the only thing that mattered was making sure she didn't end up being sent back to New York. She knew that once child services got involved, she was either going to end up in a home, or being sent back to her mother. Neither of which was something she wanted.

"Where are you headed?" Johnny asked her as he arrived. Jazz just looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear.

"I managed to get a ticket for Reefside." She informed him. Johnny just shook his head sadly and sat next to her.

"So what do you plan on doing when you get there?" He asked her. She just shrugged.

"I hadn't really thought about it." She said honestly, pulling her jacket around her more tightly. "I'll think of something..."

"Like you did with the baby?" He asked her. Jazz just looked away from him. "When did that happen?"

"It was about a month ago." She told him. "I suppose it was for the best. It's not like I could have raised a kid by myself."

"Jazz, I just have to ask." He continued. "Was...was it mine?"

"Johnny..."

"I mean, we did have that night before I left." He reminded her. "I know we never...went all the way...but I have heard that you don't need to...you know...for the little guys..."

"Johnny, how long have you been out here?" She asked him. Johnny thought about it for a second.

"I've been out here a little short of a year." He told her. She just gave him a slightly withering look.

"Do the maths Johnny." She told him. Johnny thought about it for a bit, and eventually realised what she was getting at. The dates didn't fit, if it had been his, the baby would have been full term months ago. "For what it's worth I wish it was though. I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have had watching out for a baby."

"So whose was it?" He asked her. "You can tell me, you know that."

"It was Eddie's." She informed him. Johnny's mouth just hung open in astonishment. He couldn't believe what she had just told him.

"Your mom's boyfriend?" He asked her. "I thought you hated him."

"I do, the guy's a total creep." She informed him. "Ever since mom let him move in the first time, he always made excuses to get close to me and touch me. He always made little comments about me."

She looked down to her feet.

"I thought he was gone for good when they broke up, but they got back together a few weeks after you left." She told him. "I tried to tell mom about it, but she didn't believe me. She kept saying I was just trying to cause trouble. One night, he got her out of the apartment for the night. He made sure we were alone, and then..."

She couldn't finish what she was trying to say. She just broke down and wept into her hands as Johnny held her closely.

"I couldn't stay Johnny, I just couldn't." She told him. "Once I found out about the baby, I knew I couldn't risk him getting his hands on me. When mom found out I was pregnant, she just screamed at me. I knew it was pointless to try and tell her what happened, she wouldn't believe me. She kicked me out."

"Jazz, what happened?" He asked her. "I'm never going to judge you, you meant too much to me. I just needed to ask..."

"It was just one of those things." She informed him, rolling up her sleeves. She had a couple of faded track marks on her arm, the scarring having largely healed. "As soon as I found out about the baby, I got clean. I don't even drink anymore. I didn't want to do anything to risk the baby."

"So you took that job..."

"I needed the money." She told him. "I didn't want to risk Eddie finding out where I was, so I knew I needed to run."

"Listen, I don't know what's going to happen out of this, but there are good people here." Johnny told her. "They'll do everything they can to help you."

With that, he reached down, picking up her bag and getting up.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but the way I see it you basically have two choices." He told her, handing her the bag. "You can stay here and let these people try to help you, or you can get on that Greyhound and keep running. The only thing is though; the world is only so large. Sooner or later you're going to run out of places to run."

She nodded in understanding, getting up. She showed him the ticket.

"Let's see if I can get a refund for this." She told him. "Maybe I'll be able to pay those doctors back."

Johnny put his arm around her, leading her from the bus station. Neither of them noticed a man in a dark coat lowering his newspaper as they passed. He flipped out a cell phone and dialled.

"It looks like that lead paid off. I just saw her at the bus station." He told the man on the other end. "It seems you were right about her seeking out that Italian kid."


	11. Jazz's Shock

Jazz woke up in a comfortable bed the following day. It was a novel feeling, she hadn't slept in a bed since her mother had kicked her out of the house in New York.

RJ and Lily had agreed to take her in as an emergency foster home while child services contacted her mother to find out the truth behind her predicament. While she had told Johnny, RJ and Lily about what her step-father had done, she wasn't able to tell child services. The time had long since past when there was any evidence of the attack, meaning that if she made a complaint, it would be her word against his. Of course since her mother had already chosen sides. If her own mother wouldn't believe her, what chance did she have with the police?

Liv came into the room, a ham roll held in her mouth, and tossed another onto the bed. This was the thing Jazz loved most about her new living arrangements. The days of dumpster diving were over.

"Are you all set for school?" Liv asked her through a mouthful as she looked out a book. It was now coming to the end of the week, and she was looking forward to her first family wedding. Master Finn was due to get married to Barbara the following evening.

"I'm just about ready." She yawned in response, stretching as she slowly came to.

"Well you should probably get a move on; I'm hoping to swing by Johnny's place on the way." She told her. "My sentence is nearly up."

Jazz felt a little guilty as she said this. She knew that Liv didn't hold it against her, but it was still strictly speaking her fault she had been grounded. She pulled herself out of the bed and started to look around for some clothes.

"So has Gabby said anything more to you about the store?" Liv asked her. Jazz nodded as she pulled on a t-shirt.

"The exterior's finished, they're beginning work on the utilities." She informed her. "It'll not be long before they can get started on the interior."

"I'm really looking forward to this." Liv informed her. "I managed to talk mom and dad into letting me buy a surfboard. I was watching the surfers on the new beach the other day, it looks like a blast!"

Jazz finished getting dressed, and gathered her bag, at which they both headed for the door.

"Make sure you get home quickly tonight Liv, I'll need a hand preparing the buffet for tomorrow night." RJ reminded her. "Remind Johnny."

"Please, he's been talking about nothing but recipe ideas all week, of course he remembers." She laughed in response. "You know how excited he gets when he has a project like this."

They left the apartment, making their way towards the school. They didn't notice a man in a dark sedan on the other side of the street, watching them closely. He took a few pictures of them before pulling out his cell phone.

"She's heading to the school now." He told his employer. "Are you sure about this?"

He shrugged as he got an answer.

"Alright, you're the one picking up the tab." He remarked as he hung up the phone before starting the car, following the girls at a safe distance.

Susan was having a quiet day at the Rock Porium, taking the opportunity to do her accounts while the store was empty. Flit had already completed a full inventory, cleaned everything there was to be cleaned, and had even put in the week's order. He was currently sitting on a chair in the corner, juggling with a couple of rubber balls to pass the time. In short, he was bored out of his mind.

"Flit, would you mind not doing that?" Susan asked him in exasperation. "It's hard to concentrate when you're throwing those damned balls around."

"Geez, someone's cranky." He commented, putting the balls down.

"Flit, I'm sorry." She muttered. "I'm just finding it really hard to get comfortable."

"The baby again?" He asked her. Susan just nodded.

"It's already overdue." She complained. "I just wish this was over with."

"It'll come in its own time." He assured her. "Would you like me to do a lunch run or something?"

"I guess so, there's no reason for both of us to sit on our asses bored to tears." She sighed.

"Any idea what you'd like?" He asked her. She thought about it for a while.

"I could just murder a burrito." She replied.

"Your wish is my command." He told her, gathering his jacket and leaving. She turned her attention back to the books.

"God I hate quiet days." She muttered, placing a hand on her stomach softly. "Now would be a good time to come junior. It'd give me something to do at least."

Over at the school, Jazz went into the parking lot as the lunch break began. She had been at the school for a little over a week now, and in all that time she had been subjected to a constant stream of make-up tests to get her up to speed. Since she didn't want to be stuck in Summer school, or repeat her freshman year, there wasn't much else she could do.

As she sat outside, reaching into her bag for the sandwiches she had been given for lunch, a man approached her. He looked like he was in his forties, and had slightly thinning dark hair. He was wearing a dark suit, over which he had a large rain coat.

"Excuse me, I'm a little lost could you tell me how to get to Ocean Bluff Harbour?" He asked her. Jazz looked at him a little curiously.

"Just head back to the main road, take a left and keep going." She told him. "It'll be signposted."

"Which road is that?" He asked her. She just groaned, getting up and heading with him towards his car. She pointed towards the road.

"It's just up that way..."

Before she knew what was happening, he popped the trunk and grabbed her roughly, throwing her inside and slamming it shut. Jazz pounded on the inside of the trunk as he looked around to make sure no one had seen what had happened. He got into the driver's seat and pulled away, taking her with him.

Back at the Rock Porium, Flit arrived back with the lunch, finding Susan balancing a pencil on the end of her finger. He laughed as he saw this, putting her lunch down on the counter.

"OK, you must be REALLY bored." He commented. She just nodded as she put her pencil down and started unwrapping her lunch.

"I swear if we don't get a customer soon, I'm going to go completely insane." She muttered. "I finished the accounts 20 minutes ago. There's nothing else left!"

"You know the benefit of being the boss is getting a short day every now and again." He reminded her. "There's no point in both of us hanging around when it's like this."

"I guess it would be nice to go home early." She stated with a shrug.

"It'll give you a head start on the preparations for tomorrow." He told her. "I'm sure your mom would love to spend some time with you."

"I'll just finish this and then I'll head out." She told him. "If I turn up at the apartment with this, mom would probably just give me a lecture."

"We wouldn't want that now would we?" He asked her as he unwrapped his own lunch. "I'm sure I can handle things here."

In another part of town, the black sedan pulled into a parking lot. The man got out and made his way around to the trunk, opening it. Jazz tried to get out, but he grabbed her, shoving her back inside and pulled out a stun gun, sparking it menacingly.

"Settle down and I won't hurt you." He warned her. "Just do as I say and come with me."

She nodded in response, at which he hauled her out of the trunk, and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and walked her over to a van. He opened the back and shoved her inside.

"Watch it!" A man in the back of the van warned him. "I know I asked you to bring her, but there was no need for this!"

"She's unharmed, just like I promised." He told him. "I'll just keep watch."

He closed the door, leaving her in the back of the van with the stranger. He had light brown hair, and green eyes. He had a little stubble, and was wearing faded blue jeans and a red t-shirt. Judging from the stains on his clothing, and the interior of the van, she guessed he was some kind of tradesman.

"Who are you?" She asked him. "What do you want with me?"

"Calm down Jasmine, I promise I'll answer all your questions." He told her. "I'm sorry about this. The man who brought you here is a PI. I hired him to find you."

"Why?" She asked him, looking at him fearfully. "Is this something to do with Eddie? Is this about the investigation?"

"It kind of is." He told her. "Jasmine, I know this is going to be hard to believe, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me. I'm your father."

He pulled a photograph out of his pocket as she stared at him, obviously not believing what he said. It showed her mother and a baby, obviously taken a little after she was born. He had less stubble, and was a little chubbier, but she could see this man in the picture with her mother.

"Mom said you died." She gasped. He nodded regretfully.

"That's what the police told her." He informed her. "You were too young to remember, but I wasn't a good man back then. I was..."

"Mom always said you were a waste of space." She interrupted him. "She told me you were a junkie."

"I was." He assured her. "When you were young, I was an addict. I spent almost everything we had on my habit."

He held her hands softly in his and looked into her eyes.

"One day, I went to my dealer's place to get another fix. Just as I got there, a rival gang came into the building." He told her. "I was so scared; all I could do was hide and watch. They gunned him down in broad daylight."

He drew closer to her.

"When the cops got there, I told them what I had seen. In exchange for my testimony they put me into witness protection." He informed her. "They got me through rehab and gave me a new life, but in order to keep you safe, they faked my death. It was safest for you and your mother that you didn't know I was alive."

"You've been alive all this time?" She asked him. "Where were you?"

"I've been staying in Chicago. I do labouring work out there." He informed her. She thought about this for a second.

"I was in Chicago a couple of months ago." She commented. He nodded.

"I saw you out there." He informed her. "I couldn't believe it was you, so I hired the PI to check up on you. He told me you had run away, so I paid for him to track you down."

"I don't know what to say about this." She sighed, bombarded by all the new information. "I can't believe you're still alive."

"Jasmine, the gang that killed my old dealer are still around. I can't take my old identity back, even tracking you down like this is a breach of my witness protection programme's rules. I'm putting myself in danger by contacting you, but I had to see you." He told her. "Jasmine, if you want to live with me you can, but it would mean changing your name and leaving town."

"I don't know what to say!" She gasped. "I don't know what to do; I'd need to talk to Johnny or RJ..."

"No, you can't do that." He told her. "If you tell anyone what's happening, it would only put them in danger. If you want to come, you can't tell anyone where you're going."

"I'd have to just leave them without a word?" She asked him.

"I understand, I know it's hard but it's the only way." He told her, handing her a card. "I'm staying in this apartment building, but I have to leave on Saturday."

He then opened the door of the van allowing her to get out. Jazz just looked at the card in amazement as she started to walk away. It was a huge decision to make. Her father was alive, and he wanted to take her in and give her a new life, but in order to do that, she would have to leave behind everyone that had tried to help her without even the courtesy of a goodbye. She had no idea how to decide. All she knew was that it was the biggest decision of her life, and she only had two days to make it.


	12. Jazz's Doubts

Jazz made her way back towards JKP after her encounter with the man claiming to be her father. It was unfortunate, but the place he had chosen for the PI he had haired to "bring" her to meet with him was clean on the opposite side of town. In some ways it made sense to take her so far out of the way, just in case as he claimed people working for the guy that killed his drug dealer were trying to track him, but it meant she had a long walk back home. She had already resigned herself to the fact that she would be missing the last periods of the day, and had opted to bypass the school completely and head for home. She was fortunate that she didn't need to do any more make-up tests and only had study hall. No one would have missed her.

As she rounded the corner onto the last street home, all the thoughts still raced around in her mind. For so long she had believed her father was dead. She had only been young then, but she could still remember the day her mother got the call clearly. She had gone to the police station to identify the body. That was one thing that bothered her. If her mother had identified the body, was it even possible he was alive? She couldn't think of why someone would want to impersonate her father, but if her mother had confirmed he was dead, then it was possible this man was lying.

He had hardly done much to earn her trust. He had basically hired a private investigator to tail her and find out where she was, and then paid him to kidnap her from High School in broad daylight. He had dragged her halfway across town to ask her to trust him and leave town without so much as a word to her friends before dumping her miles from her home. It didn't exactly sound like the most fatherly of things to do.

Then again, if what he had said was true, then she could understand his caution. If people were after him, and they thought he was alive, then it would make sense that they would use her to get to him. Contacting her was an incredibly risky move; he would only do it if he believed it was for the best. If anyone had seen them together, had realised that he was alive and in Ocean Bluff, it was possible that he'd put both of them in danger.

"Jazz, over here!" Liv greeted her, waving her over. Johnny was just dropping her back at JKP. Jazz just waved back and came over, trying to think of something to tell them to explain why she had missed the end of the school day. She doubted telling them she had been shoved into the trunk of a car and driven across town by a lunatic with a stun gun would exactly be the best story.

"We couldn't find you in study hall after lunch." Johnny asked her. "Where were you?"

"I..."

"Leave her alone Johnny, I think I might have an idea." Liv told him with a little smirk. "I'm guessing she had something...better to do."

Jazz just looked at her a little curiously.

"I saw the way you were looking at Brandon." She teased her, before turning to Johnny. "You know, that Goth kid from maths class. He wasn't in study hall either."

Jazz didn't have any idea who Liv was talking about, but it did seem to provide her an alibi. She just nodded.

"Yeah, I went to lunch with him." She told them. "We got to talking and I just lost track of time."

"Only seniors are allowed to leave campus for lunch." Johnny reminded him. "If Mr. Weaver had found out..."

"Oh leave it alone Johnny, it's not like we haven't bent the rules on occasion." Liv reminded him. "So are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know yet." Jazz told her, thinking more about this man who had claimed to be her father than anything to do with some non-existent kid she had supposedly ditched study hall for. "Maybe."

As they went inside, they found RJ setting everything up. He smiled as he saw them.

"Back from another day of academic achievement I see, so how are you both?" He asked them.

"Things were pretty uneventful." Liv assured him. "Most of the juniors and seniors are getting ready for exams next month, so things are pretty quiet for us lowly freshmen."

"How are your tests going Jazz?" RJ asked her. Liv nudged her to alert her to the fact RJ had asked her a question and shook her head clear. She had allowed her mind to wander again.

"Oh, right, they're going well." She told him. "I'm never going to set the academic world on fire, but I've passed all of them so far."

"Well that's good to hear. No one would have blamed you if you needed a little help." RJ assured her. "You're still young, you can always do better next year once you get a little more settled."

"I can try." Jazz agreed simply as a way of ending the conversation. "Dom, has Gabby said anything about the store?"

"She said the work's nearly finished." He told her. "By the time Master Finn gets back from his honeymoon we should be ready to get into the interior decor."

"So the opening date's still on track?" She asked him. He smiled and nodded.

"Once Master Finn gets back, it'll be our turn." He told her. "The store should be opening when we get back."

"That sounds great." Jazz agreed. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I have a little studying to do. I'll catch you later."

With that, she headed up to the apartment. When she got there, she found Susan lying on the couch, watching something on television, having gone home early from her shift at the Rock Porium. She paused for a second, thinking about something. She had been introduced to the whole crew, and had heard a lot about them. One of the things she remembered when she looked at Susan was the fact that at one time she had been a cop.

She made her way over, taking a seat with her.

"How are you feeling Mrs. Sinclaire?" She asked her. Susan just looked at her.

"Hi Jazz, I guess I'm feeling alright." Susan replied. "You really should call me Susan though."

"Do you mind if I ask you about something?" Jazz asked her.

"If I can help I will." She commented with a shrug.

"You were a cop right?" Jazz began. "Do you know much about the witness protection scheme?"

"Only what I was taught in the academy." She replied. "Most cases are usually handled by the FBI. Why do you want to know?"

"One of the books I was reading, it's about a guy that was in the witness protection scheme." Jazz lied, trying to think of a way to make this seem a lot less suspicious. "So when someone goes into the scheme, they basically get a new life and disappear right?"

"That's kind of the point." Susan told her.

"In the book, the police faked his death." Jazz told her. "Do you know if that happens in real life?"

In a crummy bedsit in another part of town, the man claiming to be Jazz's dad was sitting, watching television when there was a knock on the door. He snapped his head to the door, and got off the bed sharply. He had pulled dark drapes over the windows, and was keeping the noise and light in the room low for a reason. He didn't want anyone to know he was in the city. Only one person knew he was here, but he was taking no chances. Making his way to the bed, his key in one hand, he reached behind him, pulling a Beretta from the back of his trousers and cocked it, flicking off the safety. He unlocked the door, but kept the chain on as he opened it to see who was there. It was the PI. He just breathed a small sigh of relief and unlatched the chain, letting him in.

"Damn it Keith, I hate this." He told him as the PI closed the door behind him. "I'm as jumpy as hell out here."

"I'm not surprised, but there are worse things than being jumpy." Keith told him. "You could be dead."

"It's just as well I'm not paying you to be comforting." He replied sarcastically.

"You get what you pay for Leonard." Keith told him. "Speaking of which..."

Leonard just groaned, and reached into a drawer, pulling out a stack of bills, tossing them to him. The PI counted them and shoved them away in his inside pocket.

"Anyway, you aren't the only client I have. I need to make a couple of calls." Keith told him.

"Of course, thanks for all your help." Leonard told him. Keith just smiled.

"This is why I got into this business." He assured him. With that, he left the room, Leonard locking the door behind him. As he walked down the hall, Keith pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

"Eddie, this is Keith. I came through just like I said I would." He informed him. "I found your step-daughter, but you only have two days until even I won't be able to find her."

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"I could tell you where, for a bonus." Keith told him.

"You slimy sack of..."

"Please, I make a career out of playing both sides. Do you really think I care what people think of me?" He asked him. "I want another five grand. It'll cover my expenses."

"Fine, I'll wire the funds to your account." He told him. "Now, where is she?"

"I'll call back with the address once I get the funds." He assured him. "Just to keep you confident I'm not lying, check your e-mail. You'll find a picture of her there. It was taken yesterday morning."

He hung up before Eddie could protest. He then made another call, the one that he had taken this job for in the first place.

"Mr. Bannister? It's me. I have the information I promised you." Keith told him. "I know where Leonard is."

"If you give me the location..."

"Well some new information has come to light. He broke cover to find his daughter." Keith told him. "I know where he'll be for the next two days, but after that, he'll be going back underground for good. Even I won't be able to find him."

"Fine then..."

"I want 250 grand." Keith said with a smirk. "The way I see it, this is your last chance to get your hands on him. If you want him as bad as you say, you'll have to take it."


	13. Master Finn's Wedding

It was coming towards the end of the week, and the students at Ocean Bluff High were counting down the minutes to the weekend, but none more so than Liv.

She was just brimming with excitement. Not only was she looking forward to her birthday gift on the Saturday, having received backstage passes to the Kira Oliver concert that the whole city was buzzing about, but also because in only two hours time, she was going to be attending her new grandfather's wedding.

"Liv, the clock isn't going to go any faster." Johnny teased her, nudging her gently. "It's only two minutes since you last checked."

"Well excuse me for being excited about the wedding." She whispered with a little smile. The teacher at the front of the class just gave a little cough to indicate that they should return their attention to the lesson in progress. Liv turned back to the chemistry experiment they were working on. Jazz was taking notes, hoping to keep up the passing grade she had managed to scrape together and stay out of summer school. "It's not like I expect to gain a grandmother every week."

"Not to mention three uncles, three aunts, an aunt to be and a niece." Johnny chuckled as he put something into the beaker. "You know for someone who was an only child this time a year ago, you've suddenly got a pretty huge family."

"I guess I have." Liv stated with a smile, thinking about what he had said. Once Master Finn married Barbara, Casey, Camille, Susan, Michelle, Dom and Jarrod were all going to become part of the extended family. It was a big change from when it had only been her and her biological father. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Well of course YOU are." Jazz told her. "You actually get to go. Johnny and I just have to cover the restaurant with Lily's dad."

It did seem on the surface a little unfair, but since they were going to be holding a Pai Zhuq ceremony, they couldn't really invite Jazz. Without explaining what was going on, the whole thing would seem a little bizarre. Johnny had volunteered to cover as well to alleviate suspicion on her part, and to make sure she didn't spend the evening completely alone.

"The reception's up in the restaurant, you'll not be left out." Liv assured her. "There'll still be plenty of partying to do."

"Alright class, the bell's about to ring, let's see what you've accomplished!" The chemistry teacher called out, putting down his scientific journal (which Johnny always amusingly insisted probably had a copy of Playboy hidden inside it, explaining why he spent the whole lesson staring at that instead of taking the class through their experiments with potentially dangerous chemicals and Bunsen burners) and picked up his chart, making his way over to their table. "Alright, let's see what you have managed to accomplish in the last hour."

He took a little look at the contents of their beaker, looking at the liquid inside.

"Satisfactory, you may clean up." He told them, waving them off dismissively before making his way to the next bench. None of them complained, and leapt immediately to clean up. After all, he was paying so little attention to the class, he hadn't realised there were ten minutes left.

In another part of town, Keith, the private investigator Leonard had hired to track down Jazz was waiting at the airport a couple of hours' drive from the airport by the departure gate. As he stood, casually chewing some gum, he looked up to see a number of men stepping through the gate. All of them were wearing dark jackets, jeans and t-shirts, and carrying only hand luggage. The one at the fore of the group appeared to be almost 40, but had a bleached blonde mullet hawk hair style that was wildly out of style for the day. He had a tattoo of an eagle on the right side of his skull. Seeing Keith, they made their way over.

"This better be worth it Keith!" He stated in a cold, low hiss. "I don't appreciate paying a hundred grand more than the reward."

"You'll not be sorry, I promise you." Keith assured him. "By this time tomorrow night, you'll be able to get your hands on the man who sent your brother to jail."

"I better, because if I don't, no one will ever find you." He reiterated. "The Blue Crew doesn't take kindly to being messed around."

"Would you just relax Jake? Everything's going to plan." Keith assured him. "Anyway, I have a van out the front. I'll take you to the motel."

Jake turned to one of the younger members of his entourage, a kid who was only about 18 if he was that much, and pointed to the carousel.

"You heard him kid, go and get the bags!" He snapped at him. The kid ran off to collect a trolley and the rest of their luggage.

"Who's the kid?" Keith asked him.

"His name's Ronan, he's a prospect we're breaking in." He told him. "He's a bit wet behind the ears, and I doubt he'll make anything of himself in this game, but he can fetch and carry with the best of them."

"Anyway, just so you don't think I'm playing you, here are a couple of photographs I took the liberty of taking." He told Jake, handing him his cell phone. Jake smiled as he saw them.

"He's put on weight, but I guess that's what happens when someone gets clean." Jake commented. "It's definitely him though."

"He'll be in a parking garage a little way from the motel at 7 tomorrow night." Keith informed him. "The only thing I ask is that you don't harm the girl. I have another client interested in her."

"As long as I get the chance to put Leonard six feet under, I don't give a damn what you do with the girl." He replied as Ronan returned with the trolley, struggling to keep the luggage on it. "For God's sake kid, can't you do the simplest thing right? Get them to the van!"

He turned back to Keith as they left, shaking his head.

"I swear, I don't know why I put up with that kid." He grumbled.

Over at JKP, Johnny, Liv and Jazz arrived, finding Lily busy getting David ready for the ceremony, while Michelle and Susan were putting the finishing touches on their mother's hair.

"Liv, your robes are lying on your bed." Lily told her. "Get changed, we'll be making our way out there any time now."

Liv ran off into her room to get changed, while Lily finished with David, hefting him up. "Johnny, Jazz, you know where your uniforms are. We'll only be a couple of hours, so dad should be able to cover anything you need in the meantime."

"No problem Mrs. Martin." Johnny told her, beginning to make his way towards the cupboard to get their uniforms. As Jazz joined him, he noticed her staring around at them all, a little confused.

"Johnny, what are they wearing?" She asked him.

"They're having the ceremony on the beach remember?" He asked her. "How many people do you think would want to get a tux or a dress messed up with sand?"

"I guess that makes sense." Jazz commented, shrugging it off. While she was still curious as to why exactly the family that had taken her in would essentially be getting married in what appeared to be pyjamas, she had a lot more pressing matters on her mind.

Susan had been very vague about the details of what was involved in the Witness Protection Programme; she had revealed at least one thing to be true. Once the witness testified, they essentially disappeared. They were given new identities and left town, of course for those with contacts, friends and family etc. it meant leaving them behind. Was it possible that this man was telling the truth? That he had been forced to leave even his wife and daughter behind?

He seemed to know some things about her, and had gone far enough to track her down, despite the apparent danger to himself to do so.

He even had a picture of himself with her mother and her on the day she was born. Her mom wasn't the most nostalgic of people and didn't exactly spend evenings poring over photo albums with her daughter, so she had no idea if she had ever owned such a photograph, and she doubted she could call her mother to check.

As she pulled on her uniform and made her way into the restaurant to begin her shift, she was no closer to knowing whether or not he was on the level. All she knew was that she only had one more day to make up her mind.

Lily and the others were busy setting up on the beach a little way from Master Finn's cabin. Lily had just finished getting dressed in the ceremonial robes for the occasion, and was just preparing herself to begin. Master Swoop and Master Phant came over to her.

"Are you ready to begin the reading?" Master Phant asked her. "I know you worked hard on this."

"Harder than most." Lily replied with a little smirk. Master Swoop just raised a little smile.

"I heard he played a prank on you." Swoop stated. "You know what his sense of humour is like."

"I'm sorry Lily, I really couldn't resist." He told her. "You were my most dedicated student though."

"That's alright; I know it was only a joke." She told him reassuringly. "Besides, it really helped me remember the ceremony. A freezing cold waterfall is an amazing memory aid."

"Well maybe we should remember that in future." Swoop suggested.

"I'm just glad there were no hard feelings." Master Phant told her. "Those chocolate chip cookies you had with the tea while we waited were just delicious."

"Cookies?" Master Swoop asked him. "I don't remember any cookies."

"Neither do I." Casey stated as he arrived.

Master Phant looked to Lily a little concerned.

"Lily, what did you do?" He asked her. She just gave him an innocent little smile. "I've got to go!"

As he ran off, looking a little ill, Casey and Swoop both laughed. Lily had a satisfied look on her face.

"So what was it?" Casey asked her. "Were the chocolate chips made of choc o lax or something?"

"Actually I did nothing to them. They were just normal cookies." She told him honestly. "Of course he doesn't know that."

"But since only he ate them, he thinks you did something to them." Swoop said with an approving grin. "Sometimes the best pranks are the ones you let people play on themselves."

"Anyway, it'll only be a couple of minutes before he figures it out and comes back." Lily told them. "Everyone get ready to take the first positions!"

In his cabin, Master Finn was just finishing polishing his swords, before placing them in his belt. RJ came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"I haven't been as sure of anything since I married your mom." He replied happily. "It means a lot to me that you're alright with this."

"I just want you to be happy." RJ told him.

"Anyway, it's time." He stated. "If I know Lily, she's probably about to start the ceremony without you."

RJ took him out onto the beach, to where Lily and the others were waiting for them. Master Finn smiled as RJ took him to Barbara's side. He smiled, leaning in and kissing her cheek gently.

"You look beautiful." He greeted her.

"You look pretty good yourself." She replied, before they both turned to Lily. She paused for a second, straining her neck to see over the assembled guests. As soon as she saw Master Phant arriving, having realised that the cookies weren't spiked as she had allowed him to believe, she smiled and started the ceremony.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, friends and family, it is a great honour and a beautiful thing when two spirits come together and bind their hearts to one another." She began, reciting the rites she had learned. "I've known Master Finn for a long time now, and have the great honour of calling him family. I am overjoyed to see him decide to take a wonderful woman like Barbara into his life."

She turned to Barbara.

"I met you a couple of years ago through Casey, and I know you're a marvellous and caring woman. I couldn't be happier to know that she will take good care of him and be an excellent addition to the family."

"I want you to link hands and look at each other." She instructed them. Finn took Barbara's right hand gently and looked deeply into her eyes. "Barbara, you go first."

"Ever since my husband died, my life has been all about my kids. I worked so hard to give them everything they needed, and worked so hard to ensure that their father's absence wouldn't affect them. I never gave a thought to my own happiness until I met you." She began. "I never believed I could feel as loved as I do with you. I never thought I'd ever find that kind of love again. All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. I pledge my heart, my spirit and my soul to you forever."

Master Finn smiled, sweeping away an errant tear of happiness from his cheek as he prepared for his part. He struggled to concentrate in her presence.

"Barbara, ever since I've known you, I've been conflicted. From the moment I met you I could see why Jack loved you so much. I almost felt like I was betraying him with my feelings for you." He told her. "It was only as we talked and we shared our memories of him I remembered that he was the kindest, most generous and caring man I've ever known. I know he would approve. He would never have wanted either of us to be alone. I have never met anyone I'd rather spend my life with, and I look forward to spending every day from this one onward doing everything in my power to show you how much. I pledge my heart, my spirit and my soul to you forever."

Lily pulled a deep red ribbon from her robes, gently tying their wrists together as they held each other.

"May this binding represent the bond between you that will never be broken." Lily declared. "You may now kiss the bride."

Finn and Barbara pulled into their most important and passionate kiss as their guests watched on and cheered happily.

"I love you Mrs. James." He announced. Barbara felt her tears beginning as she heard herself being referred to by her married name for the first time.

"I love you too Mr. James." She replied.

"By the power invested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife." Lily concluded, in the only part of the ceremony that wasn't Pai Zhuq tradition. Gabby handed her a clip board, carrying the register. "If the married couple and the witnesses would please sign the register, we can move on to the reception."

Meanwhile, back at JKP, Jazz was just heading out the back of the restaurant with some garbage. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she never noticed a man approaching from the shadows.

She jerked sharply as he pressed his tazer into her back, sending a high voltage shock through her. She collapsed to the ground, stunned by the attack. She felt her hands being pulled behind her, and duct tape being wrapped around her wrists to restrain her. As she was turned over, tape was securely stuck across her mouth to prevent her from screaming. It was only then she realised to her horror what was happening. It was her step-father, Eddie.

"I bet you thought you had seen the last of me didn't you?" He asked her, hauling her down the street and throwing her into a car he had parked there. "You see, when you were just running and hiding out on the streets like a runaway, I knew I had nothing to worry about, but now that you've got a foster family? Who knows when you might feel free to speak up about what we had together."

He shoved her onto the back seat. She tried to scream, but she couldn't.

"I know they probably won't be able to make a case against me, but I have to be sure." He told her, pulling a needle out of his jacket. It had been a long time since she had been a user, but she could guess what it was. It was Heroin. "I'm going to take you somewhere nice and quiet, give you a hell of a night...nothing you've never done willingly I might add...and then let the cops pick you up in the morning."

He stroked the slightly faded track mark scarring on her arm and smiled.

"Who's going to believe a runaway junkie?" He asked her. With that, he closed the door. He turned to where Keith was waiting and threw him some cash. "Thanks for this."

"No problem. You just...do what you have to." Keith told him. As Eddie got in the car and drove away, he flipped out his cell phone and dialled Leonard.

"Leonard, it's Keith, some guy just snatched your daughter from the restaurant." He told him. "She was screaming as he put her in the car, I think she called him Eddie..."

"Her stepfather?" He asked him, the panic evident in his voice. "Did you..."

"I tried to stop them, but he had a gun. He started shooting." Keith told him. "He's heading for the old foundry."

Leonard just hung up. Keith knew that his plan was already falling into place. He had already been paid by all three factions. Now all he needed to do was complete the plan. He dialled Jake.

"Jake, I just got a tip. Leonard's stepped up his plan." He told him. "He's meeting his Jazz in the old foundry in a few minutes."

As he hung up, he turned around, finding Michael, Lily's father standing behind him. When Jazz hadn't come back in, he had come out to check on her, only to find the garbage he had sent her out with strewn all over the street. Keith looked a little worried, not knowing who he was, or how much he had heard.

"What was that about Jazz and the old foundry?" He asked him. Keith just shook his head and laughed.

"Kids, they're never that reliable are they?" He asked him. "If you'll excuse me..."

Michael stopped him with a hand on his chest and glared at him.

"There's blood on that dumpster." He informed him. "Wherever she went, I doubt she did so willingly. Where is she?"

"Out of my way old man." Keith warned him, pulling out his tazer and sparking it. "You don't want to get hurt."

Michael just smiled at him.


	14. The Foundry

Johnny was busy chopping some vegetables when Michael stormed back into the kitchen and grabbed him roughly, ramming him against the refrigerators.

"What the hell is Jazz involved in?" He demanded. Johnny just looked at him a little confused.

"I don't..."

"She was just kidnapped!" Michael interrupted him. "What do you know about her?"

Johnny squirmed uncomfortably in his grip. Unfortunately in their short lives, Jazz had managed to end up with a few people who would want to harm her.

"Come with me!" He demanded, dragging Johnny into the alley out the back.

When he got there, he found Keith with his hands tied behind his back, his face bloody and battered, and his ankles tied to the handle on a dumpster, holding him up at an angle. Michael grabbed a mop bucket full of water.

"This piece of shit saw her being kidnapped and did nothing. He said something about her step father!" Michael informed him.

"Eddie?" Johnny asked him in disbelief. "He was here?"

"What happened here?" Michael demanded. Keith just shook his head.

"You don't know who I'm working for." He told him. "The only reason I'm alive is because by this time tomorrow I was expecting to be in Mexico."

"Have you ever heard of Guantanamo Bay?" He asked him, tossing a bucketful of water over him. Keith coughed and spluttered, gagging as the water forcefully drowned him. "Have you any idea what waterboarding is?"

"Mr...."

Michael silenced Johnny by shoving a hand over his mouth. He obviously didn't want him to know any names.

"I have some experience with it." He told him. "I know how unpleasant it is. Now, tell us where Eddie's taken her and why!"

"I won't..."

Keith was silenced as Michael tossed another bucket of water over him. Johnny wasn't at all comfortable about what he was witnessing. He had heard all the horror stories about waterboarding and the stories of what happened to prisoners of war, but here he was witnessing it first-hand.

"What's he going to do with her?" He demanded. Johnny was completely terrified by the former marine by now. Mr. Chilman had always been such a calm, reserved man. He knew he had served in the marines, but he would never have expected this savagery from the man that played with his own young children and his grandson so tenderly and lovingly.

"He's worried that now she's found a stable home she'll talk!" Keith finally managed to cough out. "He wanted to find her and discredit her. He's going to give her a dose of heroin and dump her so no one will believe her."

"Johnny!" He roared. Johnny wasn't used to being afraid of people, but right now, Mr. Chilman seemed to be borderline psychotic. He could feel an energy in him that eclipsed his own and was terrified of him. He nodded.

"Jazz was a user back in the day." He told him.

"Who else did you talk to?" Michael asked him. "I swear..."

"I talked to her dad!" Keith told him. "He's been in witness protection since she was a kid. He found out she was on the streets and asked me to track her down."

"So who's Jake?" Michael asked him, placing a boot on the side of his head, grinding his face into the concrete.

"Does he have a mullet hawk?" Johnny asked in alarm. Keith and Michael just looked at him.

"Answer him!" Michael demanded, grabbing another bucket of water and holding it over him. "I can keep this up all night!"

"Yes, he does!" He screamed. "It's Jake, the leader of The Blue Crew. Leonard's testimony sent his brother down for good!"

"Jake's a psycho, he's bound to be loaded for bear!" Johnny told him. "We have to..."

"Never mind Johnny, I have it covered." Michael assured him. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

"Sempre Fi." He greeted the man on the other end. "It's Mandrill here. I need a favour."

Over in the old foundry, Eddie dragged Jazz over to some machinery and shoved her onto the floor. He pulled out a gun, shoving it into her face.

"If you move, you know what'll happen." He warned her. He cut the tape on her hands, before taking her left hand and binding it to a pipe with some more tape. He did the same with her left, leaving her sitting helplessly on the floor.

"You know, your mom knew what was best, she just never rocked the boat." He began, starting to take off his belt. "She knew when she had it good. No one in their right mind would have taken on a single mom with no prospects."

He wrapped the belt around her right arm, before tightening it, and then started slapping her elbow joint. He wanted the veins to stand up so he could inject her with the heroin he had shown her earlier. Jazz struggled against her bonds. Giving up had been one of the hardest things she had done, it was only her desire not to treat her child like her mother had treated her that had scared her into getting clean. She hadn't had a single shot since she had found out about the baby she had lost. Eddie grabbed her arm and held up a needle.

"You know, you and I could have had something good." He told her. Just then, a shot rang out and Eddie fell to the floor screaming. Blood poured from a wound in his thigh as he rolled around on the ground.

"Get your filthy hand off my daughter you sick pervert!" Leonard warned him, walking into view with a smoking gun.

"I'm not doing anything she didn't do willingly." He said with a sick smile. "She..."

"I'm a pretty good shot. I already hit your leg." He interrupted him. "If I adjust my aim an inch and a half higher, and an inch to the left, you know what I'll hit."

He made his way to Jazz's side, pulling out a knife and cut her loose. He pulled off her gag, and hugged her tightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, moving her away and starting to run his hands over her to inspect her for injuries.

"Dad, I'm fine." She whispered, finally finding herself believing what she had been told for the first time. Leonard smiled to hear her call him that. He had been out of her life for so long; he would never believe she could trust him and accept the truth. Just then, he heard an automatic unloading. He turned to see Eddie lying dead on the ground. Looking up, he saw Jake and his entourage. Jake was holding a smoking Tec-9.

"Long time no see Leonard." He scoffed, looking around.

"Jake, this is between us, just let my daughter go." Leonard begged him. "I don't care what happens to me."

"Oh you'll care alright, but there is one problem." He told him. "Your daughter's here. She can tell people we've met."

"She has no idea who you are or what the hell is going on!" Leonard told him. "Please, let her go, then do what you want."

"I'm afraid it's far too late for that." Jake laughed, levelling his tec-9 at her. Just then, some shots rang out, and Jake's body erupted blood from a number of bullet wounds before falling to the ground dead.

One of the other gangsters reached into his jacket for a gun, but a shot rang out, and blood spurted from his skull as a single round pierced his forehead. He lurched slowly to the ground. As the other two went for their jackets, the prospect slapped their hands away.

"Are you brain dead?" He roared. Just then, about a dozen guys in black combat gear, wearing gas masks and Kevlar vests, and carrying either MP5's or M14 assault rifles. One of them approached, lowering his gun.

"You know kid; you're the brightest one here." He told him. "Keep that up you'll end up running this organisation."

He looked down at Jake and kicked him over, making sure he was dead.

"We'll clean up the mess. The three of you just get the hell out of town." He told them. "If you ever come back, you'll end up the same way."

Ronan and the rest of The Blue Crew ran from the garage as fast as they could. Leonard just looked at them in disbelief.

"Who...?"

"I can't tell you that. You were never here, and neither were we." The man told him. Leonard nodded in understanding and just took Jazz and left. The man pulled out a cell phone and dialled. "Michael, it's Beaver. Everything's fine here. There were a couple of casualties but no members of the corp. We'll do the cleaning."

"Jazz?" He asked.

"The girl and her father are fine." Beaver told him. "I was glad to help. Sempre Fi."

"Sempre Fi old friend." Michael replied. He cut Keith free.

"The Blue Crew just lost a lieutenant." He told him. "If I were you, I'd make that money count and be on the first plane out of the country."

Keith ran away as fast as his legs could carry him, knowing what he said was true. If anything happened to Jake, The Blue Crew would likely hunt him mercilessly.

"Mr. Chilman..."

He held up a hand as he heard the others returning from the wedding ceremony on the beach. He pointed a finger, pressing it to the edge of Johnny's nose.

"This is a wedding; they're all here to have a good time." He warned Johnny. "Nothing happened with Jazz, that can always be discussed tomorrow."

He drew closer, his eyes more intense than Johnny could ever remember.

"This never happened." He warned him. Just then, Lily bounded in, a huge smile on her face.

"Come on guys, the restaurant's empty, just close up!" She shrieked. "The party's just starting!"

"I'll be there in a second sweetie." Michael chimed in, before glaring at Johnny in warning and going to flip the sign. Johnny was more scared than he had ever known. He had met Lily's dad more than a few times, and had always liked him. Now though, he was truly terrified of him.


	15. Jazz Tells All

A/N: I know this update's been a long time coming, I just kind of got sidetracked on another story. Hope you like it.

The party was winding down, and the Rangers and their guests were all preparing to say their farewells as Master Finn and Barbara finished with their last dance.

Liv was having a terrific time, feeling more like a part of this large and unusual family than she ever had before. Lily was having a whale of a time welcoming her new siblings into the family, while Casey was busy explaining to Holly that David, and Mr. Chilman's kids Jack and Stephanie were now her cousins. She seemed to be happy with the new development.

"Come on Fran, this has been a great day." Theo said softly as she took out a hankie, wiping her eyes gently. He put his arm around his wife. "You love weddings; you were almost as excited about this as Master Finn."

"I know, but it's just..." She said through a little smile, wiping away a tear. "It just occurs to me. Now we're the only ones not related to anyone."

Theo just laughed and hugged her. He knew that she wasn't really that upset, just a bit emotional because of the day. Thinking about it, she was right on that part. With Master Finn and Barbara married, that meant all three of Barbara's kids, Casey, Susan and Michelle were now related to RJ and Lily as brothers and sisters-in-law.

Susan was married to Jarrod, meaning that he and Dom were also extended in-laws, and with Dom being engaged to Gabby and planning to get married in a couple of weeks when Finn and Barbara got back from their honeymoon, it wouldn't be long before she, her parents and Master Phant also joined the family.

Flit was engaged to Michelle, and so he was all but related too. Fran had married Theo, and neither of them were related to anyone.

"Fran, you know we're a part of this family as much as anyone. Swoop isn't related to anyone either, and we all treat him as a member of the family." He assured her. "Hey, if worse comes to worse, we have about 18 years to get Algie and Holly together."

"I know you're right." She sighed. "I guess all of this is just playing with my mind. You know how I think too much, and then I get confused, and I start to..."

As she started to babble nonsensically again, Theo just leant in, silencing her with a kiss. He parted from her, looking into her eyes.

"I was doing it again wasn't I?" She asked him. Theo just laughed and nodded.

"It was one of the things I loved about you." He assured her.

The only person who wasn't feeling that great right now was Johnny. He was sitting in the corner with Jazz, who had slipped in quietly during the festivities. He knew all about Michael's involvement in helping Jazz get to safety. While he was genuinely happy that Jazz was safe, he had seen an incredibly unpleasant side of him. He had tortured Keith into telling him what was going on, and looking at the way Jazz had been when she came back, he could only guess at what had happened. Given the fact that she had escaped from both The Blue Crew and her step-father, he knew something serious had to have happened. It wasn't like The Crew to just give up on a vendetta.

"Alright guys, it really is time we were going!" Master Finn called out as the cab arrived out the front to take them to the harbour. All their stuff was already loaded up in his boat, ready for them to depart on their cruise up the coast. They started to make their way outside at which Master Finn turned back to them. They started shaking hands and exchanging hugs, before finally getting in the cab.

"Have an amazing time mom." Casey instructed her.

"Don't worry, we intend to." She told him. "Don't worry Gabby; we'll be back in time to see you walk down the aisle."

"Let us know immediately if the latest grandchild comes Susan!" Master Finn told her.

"Trust me; I'm beginning to think this kid's never coming." She grumbled. "If I ever give birth, you'd probably hear me in China."

With that, they all waved them goodbye as the cab pulled away. Casey looked to his daughter.

"It's probably about time we were getting this little one down." He told them. "We'll be around some time soon."

"Thanks for everything." Lily told him, kissing Holly and then hugging him. "We really appreciated all the help."

"I should probably be going too." Michelle told them. "I have to work tomorrow."

"I have an appointment with some contractors tomorrow." Gabby chipped in. "Shane and I are going over store layouts. I'd really love..."

"It's alright; we've got plenty of help here." RJ groaned. "We don't need a hand clearing up."

With that, the group dispersed quickly with a quick "see ya". RJ just shook his head in disbelief.

"Well I have to..."

"Not so fast Johnny." Michael responded coldly, grabbing him. "You need to stay behind. You know why."

"Dad, what's going on?" Lily asked him. "If Johnny wants to go home..."

"Megan, take the kids and go home, they don't need to hear this." He instructed his wife.

"Michael..."

"I'll fill you in later." He told her. "Susan, would you mind taking David into the other room? I need to talk seriously with Lily and RJ."

She just nodded and took David from Lily. Michael escorted Lily, RJ, Liv and Johnny back into the apartment where Jazz was waiting on the couch, with a small bag sitting next to her. Leonard was there with her.

"What's going on?" Lily asked him. "Who's this guy?"

"Tell her Jazz." Michael told her. "I think after all we've done for you, you owe them that much."

"It's alright honey." Leonard told her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm Leonard, I'm Jazz's father."

Over in Ocean Bluff Harbour, Master Finn and Barbara arrived at the boat, at which he turned to her and smiled.

"You're beautiful tonight." He told her. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

"You make me happy too." She assured him, kissing him softly. Master Finn put a hand under her legs, lifting her up. She just laughed.

"I never thought anyone would do this again." She chuckled.

"Well I may be old, but you know I'm healthy." He reminded her, carrying her up the gangplank and onto the deck. "You've honoured my traditions this far, I guess it's only fair I honour this one."

As he let her down, placing her gently on her feet on the deck, she turned and made her way towards the cabin. Master Finn pulled in the gangplank and untied the boat, casting off. He turned to face the cabin, smiling. He couldn't believe that their time had come. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked to it.

"Master Mao let me come." Guinn told him. "I won't be long."

"I never thought I'd see you." He told her.

"Like I said, I can only be here for a short time." She assured him. "She's a fantastic woman. I can tell she makes you happy."

"She really does." Master Finn replied.

"I just wanted to come and wish you well." She told him. "You deserve someone like her."

"It really means a lot to hear you say that." He said with a smile as he steered the boat out of the harbour and into open water. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied as she disappeared. Barbara came out onto the deck, carrying a couple of champagne glasses, looking around curiously.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone." She commented, handing him one. He shook his head.

"It's nothing." He told her, tapping his glass to hers. "I love you Mrs. James."

"I love you too Mr. James." She answered, kissing him softly as they sailed into the evening.

Back at the restaurant, the James family were stunned into silence after hearing the story. None of them could believe that all of that could have gone down while they were busy with the wedding, or without them knowing.

"So you had no idea?" RJ asked Johnny accusingly. Liv looked at him a little hopefully. She hated to think he could have kept something like this from her.

"Johnny had no idea." Leonard assured them. "I made sure as few as possible knew that I came here. My handler would freak if he knew I'd come here. I'm still not looking forward to that conversation."

"I didn't even tell him." Jazz assured them. "I wasn't allowed to tell any of you. It would have put you in danger."

"I found out about it. I saw Jazz being kidnapped." Michael told them. "I found out where she was being taken from the PI. I also found out that the gang that were after Leonard were going there too. I did the only thing I could; I put in a call to an old friend."

Lily and RJ understood what he meant. They both knew what he had done in his military days. When Leonard had told them the story of how men in black military gear had broken up the incident, they could figure out what had happened.

"The men killed my father-in-law and Jake, and then chased the rest away." Jazz told them. "They sent us back here. Michael insisted that we stay and explain to you. He wanted us to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Liv asked her.

"I came to town to take Jazz into my custody." Leonard told them. "I couldn't risk anyone finding out where we were going, so we planned originally just to leave, but Michael told us you at least deserved to know she'd be safe."

"Well you've done a great job of that so far." RJ said sarcastically. "You were the one that brought her into danger!"

"When we leave, I'll contact my handler. I'll likely get reprimanded for breaking cover, but they'll be able to provide us with watertight identities." He told them. "After tonight, there'll be no way anyone can track us."

"So you'd just disappear?" Liv asked them. He nodded.

"That's the plan." He told her.

"Will you be able to contact us?" Lily asked him. "Just to let us know you're safe?" He shook his head regretfully.

"I'm afraid any contact we make would just put you and us in danger." He told them. "Once we leave, that's it. We'll be gone."

"When are you leaving?" RJ asked, casting a critical look to the bag sitting next to Jazz. She just looked to them sadly.

"We're leaving tonight." She told them. "I'm sorry all of this is so sudden. I really wish we had more time to prepare you, but the longer we're here..."

Liv got up and crossed the room, and threw her arms around Jazz as a couple of tears started to run down her face.

"I'm really going to miss you." She whispered.

"I'm going to miss you too." Jazz replied. She went next to Johnny, looking up at him regretfully.

"Thanks Johnny." She whimpered. "I would never have made it this far if it wasn't for you...any of you."

"You just take care Jazz." He told her, hugging her warmly. "Whatever you end up being called, I'll always think of you as my best friend."

"That means a lot." She replied, wiping her eyes. RJ was the next to come over, extending a hand to Leonard.

"Take care of her." He instructed him. "She's an incredible girl."

"I owe her a lot, more than I can ever repay." He told the Wolf Master. "You have my word that I'll make sure she's taken care of to the best of my ability."

RJ could feel the sincerity in him and shook his hand. Lily came to his side and accepted a hug as she too felt herself beginning to well up.

"I know we can't contact you, but you always know where we are." She told her. "If anything ever happens, if you ever find yourself in danger..."

"Thank you." She replied, hugging Lily and RJ. As they parted, Leonard picked up her bag.

"My friends will be watching over you until you reach the city limits." Michael assured him. "Take care."

With that, he put his arm around Jazz and took her from the room, leading her from Jungle Karma for the last time. The room fell silent as they watched her go. Johnny turned to RJ.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't know about any of this." He told them. "RJ, I know I've screwed up in the past, but I know better now. I learned my lesson before, if I'd known..."

"I believe you Johnny." RJ told him. "But it's a little hard for me to not be upset right now. Would you please just go?"

He turned to Liv, looking at her, begging her to let him know that she understood and wouldn't turn her back on him. She just nodded wordlessly.

"I'll see you at the concert tomorrow night." She told him. Johnny just nodded and left, understanding that right now, they just needed to decompress. He knew that it would take them a while before they would be alright with this.

The room was once again silent as he left. RJ put his arms around Liv.

"Are you going to be alright kid?" He asked her. She just nodded.

Just then, the room to Susan's room opened and David toddled in, rubbing his eyes.

"What are you still doing up?" Lily asked him. "You should be in bed."

"Auntie Susi wake me." He managed to get out. Lily looked at him curiously.

"Susan woke you?" Lily asked him. Just then, they heard a scream from Susan's room. David put his hands over his ears.

"She did that." He told her. Lily and RJ ran through to the bedroom, finding her laying on the bed, slightly curled over in pain, her face covered in sweat and grunting with exhaustion.

"RJ?" Lily asked him.

"Lily, call Jarrod, and then the hospital." He told her. "Unless I'm very much mistaken, she doesn't have much longer to wait on the baby."


	16. Lion Cub

RJ and Lily were in the hospital waiting area, awaiting news from the delivery room. Jarrod ran into the room, skidding to a halt a little way from them.

"Where is she?" He rushed out in gasps as he tried to regain his breath. He didn't actually own a car, meaning that once RJ had called him, he had no option but to run all the way to the hospital from the temple. RJ got up and made his way over.

"We haven't heard anything yet, the doctors took her into the delivery room a couple of minutes ago." He informed him. "Calm down, everything seems to be going well."

Jarrod made his way to the desk at the nurse's station and waved over a nurse.

"My wife was brought in a couple of minutes ago, she's in labour." Jarrod told her. "Susan Sinclaire."

"She's in delivery room 1." She informed him. "I'll take you to get scrubbed up and then you'll be able to go in."

Jarrod nodded his head and followed her. Shortly after he left, Casey arrived with Michelle and Flit.

"Is she alright?" Casey rushed out. "We got here as fast as we could..."

"So far there's no news." RJ told him. "Jarrod just got here."

"So she just went into labour after we left?" Michelle asked them. Lily and RJ looked at each other. They didn't know how to explain what had happened that night. They knew that soon they'd have to cover what happened to Jazz, and the fact she had left town with her dad. Right now though, the main concern was Susan.

"Yeah, she really picked her time." Lily commented. "Liv's back at the restaurant with David. We had to leave in kind of a hurry."

"At least she's got the concert to look forward to." Casey commented as he went to the desk. "I'm Susan Sinclaire's brother. Is there any news?"

"There's no word yet." She told him. "Don't worry; Dr. Williams is the finest..."

"I just want to know what's happening." He told her.

It was just then that they got their answer. Jarrod rushed back, his robe hanging off him. It seemed that he hadn't even managed to get into his gown.

"It's a girl!" He announced happily, his grin wider than anyone could remember seeing. "I have a daughter!"

"It's a girl?" Lily asked him, her face lighting up at the news. She threw her arms around him enthusiastically. "Jarrod, congratulations!"

"I'm a dad!" He announced happily. "Come in and see her, she's amazing!"

He showed them all through to the room where Susan was waiting, tired, sore, but still smiling. She was holding her newborn baby in her arms, and she could barely bring herself to look anywhere else. As Jarrod came across to her, she looked up at him.

"She just went straight to sleep." She told him. "She exhausted herself."

"Let her sleep." He told her. "She can meet the others later."

Casey and Michelle approached slowly, looking down on their new little niece as she slept soundly in her mother's arms.

"Have you come up with a name yet?" Casey asked them.

"Well I have to admit becoming a little addicted to daytime television recently." She told them. "I've seen practically every episode of 'Dr. Quinn'. I kind of like the name Michaela."

"I like it too." Jarrod told them, looking down on his daughter. "Little Michaela Sinclaire."

"I was hoping to add a middle name though." Susan told him, before looking to Lily. "You've done so much for us the last couple of weeks...I'd be honoured if you'd let us call her Michaela Lily Sinclaire."

"Susan, I'd love that!" She screeched, trying hard not to cry. "Are you sure?"

"We're sure." Jarrod replied with a nod, before turning back to the newborn child and his wife.

The following morning, Gabby was at the site of the new shop, overseeing the construction crew as they were finishing the exterior build. It was a little behind schedule, but the shop was still close to being completed. She hoped to make back some of the lost time when she got into the interior decorating.

"This place is looking great already." Shane commented as he arrived on the scene, kicking up his skateboard. He handed her the submarine sandwich she had asked for as he arrived at the work bench. "I haven't seen Jazz around, do you know where she is?"

"I haven't heard anything yet." She told him with a shrug as she began unwrapping her sandwich. "I guess she only really needs to be here to set up the garage anyway."

"How about Dom?" He asked her. "I'd have thought he would be close by."

"He's getting the idea that I'm not exactly fragile anymore." She replied with a little laugh, shifting her weight a little. Her leg still wasn't 100 percent, but it wasn't far off it. She had no need for a cane anymore, and she was finding it a lot easier to get around by herself. "I tried calling him, but there was no answer on his cell phone."

Just then, her cell phone rang and she checked caller ID, smiling as she saw Dom's name.

"Speak of the devil and he appears." She commented, answering it. "We were just talking about you lover."

She swatted away at Shane as she saw him feigning gagging at the pet name. She suddenly got a smile on her face. "Sorry, Shane's being his usual self, would you repeat that? Susan's had the baby? That's amazing!"

"She had the baby?" Shane asked with a huge grin. "What did she have?" Gabby continued to try hard to concentrate on two conversations at the same time.

"It's a girl." She informed him. "They called her Michaela. I'm guessing that Liv and Jazz are there..."

Her words tailed off as she listened in.

"Alright, I'll see you later." She told him, hanging up. She just looked at Shane a little curiously. "He said that Lily and RJ needed to talk to me about Jazz."

"I'm sure it's nothing bad." He assured her as the site foreman arrived.

"That's the building safe and up to code." He told her, handing Gabby some paperwork. "We're just going to start clearing up the site."

"Alright, thanks for that." She answered as he left. She looked to Shane a little sadly. "God, if it isn't one thing it's another. I swear, I feel like I've aged about ten years since I started putting this business together."

"It'll all be worth it." Shane reminded her. "Just remember why you're doing this. The kids will love it once all this opens up."

"Unless something else goes wrong." She muttered. "Anyway, there's nothing else we can do here today. We may as well head to the restaurant. No doubt Lily will want to talk all about my new niece."

Over in the restaurant, Lily and RJ arrived back, finding Liv curled up on the couch, holding David fast asleep. They had left her to look after her brother while they took care of Susan. It looked like she had tried to stay awake to be there when they got back, but had finally fallen asleep. RJ came over to her, shaking her gently awake.

"Hey kid, how are you?" He asked her.

"I must have just drifted off." She replied, rubbing her eyes as Lily took David from her. "How's Susan?"

"She and her baby are both fine." She replied with a smile. "It's a girl."

"They must be really happy." She responded, smiling as she thought about it.

"Jarrod's really taken a shine to her." RJ commented. "So how was David?"

"He was as good as gold." She commented happily. "Once he went down, he was pretty much out the whole night."

"Thanks a lot for taking care of him." Lily replied. "I really appreciate it."

"Anyway, we've already kind of missed out on most of the day, I really don't think it's worth opening the restaurant." RJ told her. "If you want, we can go through some training before you get changed for your date tonight."

"I've been really looking forward to that." Liv admitted with a smile. "I still can't believe that you know Kira Oliver."

"She e-mailed me a couple of days ago. She's really looking forward to meeting you." Lily assured her. "It's been a while since she last did a concert in the area, so she's looking forward to it."

"I'll just go and get into my training gear." Liv told them, making her way to her room. RJ just smiled as he watched her go.

"It never ceases to amaze me how resilient she is." He admitted. "She always seems to be able to bounce back from anything."

"Hey guys." Gabby announced as she arrived with Shane. "I got your message. Apparently you had something to discuss with me?"

Lily and RJ just looked at each other. Everything had all happened so quickly that they hadn't yet managed to tell Gabby that she had just lost her junior mechanic. The abrupt nature of Jazz's departure had meant that unfortunately she hadn't been in a position to say goodbye and explain her departure herself. Now unfortunately they were left to deal with the fallout and explain.

Over at the concert venue, Kira was talking on her cell phone as she wandered around the stage, directing the team setting up.

"Yeah, we want that display over there." She told one of the runners. "Sorry about that Tommy. I just needed to talk to one of the crew."

"Yeah, so as I was saying, it looks like Emma's starting to come down with something." He told her. "Apparently there's been a virus going around."

"How about Frank?" She asked him. Tommy just laughed.

"You know Frank hardly ever gets sick." He reminded her. "Emma hardly ate anything tonight, and she was complaining of stomach pains."

"Just take her temperature again before bed time, and make a decision then." Kira instructed him. "Give her an aspirin if she feels hot, and let her know I'll call tomorrow to check up on...Holy shit!"

She jumped with a start as one of the pyro guys fired off a blast, giving her a fright.

"What the hell? I asked for a pyro display, not an artillery barrage!" She snapped at the guy as she tried to calm down. "I want to make an impression, not get my head blown off, could you scale it down?"

"What was that?" Tommy asked her.

"Sorry, one of the pyro guys was just a little enthusiastic." She explained. "Sorry for the distraction."

"I'm sorry; I still find it funny that a girl who used to take part in megazord battles gets freaked out by fireworks." He laughed.

"Trust me, that wasn't fireworks. It was more like a demolition crew." She told him. "Anyway, tell Emma I'm really sorry I missed her. I'll call again tomorrow to see if she's feeling any better."

With that, she hung up the phone, before turning to another runner, waving him over.

"Is the limo ready to go?" She asked him. This was the last surprise she had arranged for Liv. She was going to send her limo around to the restaurant to pick up her and Johnny to bring them to the concert.

"It's ready just like you asked Mrs. Oliver." He told her. "The driver's ready to go."

"Then send him around." She told him with a smile. "We need to collect our guest of honour."


	17. Concert Night

Liv was waiting outside JKP as it started to get dark, waiting for Johnny. It was still an hour and a half until the concert, but since neither she nor Johnny had a drivers' licence yet, they had planned to meet up in good time to walk to the concert hall.

She had prepared herself for the evening ahead, looking out her best jeans, and, of course, a Kira Oliver t-shirt she had acquired through eBay a few weeks earlier, along with the leather jacket Johnny had given her for her birthday. She had re-touched the colour in her hair too, and so it was jet black, with brilliant white streaks down the fringe, no longer starting to transition back to its natural shade of brown.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Johnny asked her as he arrived, flashing her a little smile. As usual, he was dressed casually in jeans, a t-shirt, though not a Kira Oliver one as he didn't really have the same obsessive love of her music, and a denim jacket, but she could already tell that he was making an effort.

"I was thinking about it." She replied, wrapping her arms around him as he came over, kissing her softly. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"I had to clean up. Since the restaurant wasn't open, Uncle Vinnie had me helping him all day." He sighed, looking at her, before pulling out a few dollars. "I managed to sell some parts though, so he at least paid me for once. I figured you'd like it if I got you a souvenir or something."

"I knew there was a reason I loved you." She responded with a smile. Just then, a long, black limo rolled into the parking lot. Johnny and Liv watched it roll in, curious as to what was happening. As the vehicle stopped, a man wearing a suit stepped out of the driver's seat.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. James?" He asked her. Liv and Johnny just looked at each other.

"Yeah, I'm Olivia James." She told him.

"I was sent to collect you and your date." He informed her, opening the back door. "Mrs. Oliver hopes you enjoy the ride."

"Are you serious?" She squealed in her excitement. RJ came out of the restaurant at this, carrying a large stack of pizza boxes.

"She had to send someone to collect her order for the crew anyway." He told her. "There's a Mancusso Special at the top there for you two."

"Mancusso special?" Liv asked, giving Johnny a little smile.

"We haven't come up with a name for it yet." He replied sheepishly, taking the boxes from RJ.

"Anyway, Mrs. Oliver asked that you join her for dinner before the concert." The driver told her. "I have instructions to bring you...and the dinner of course."

Liv ran and leapt into the back, causing it to rock on its suspension in her enthusiasm. Johnny just laughed and got in next, being careful not to drop the pizzas as he did so. The driver closed the door behind them.

"Mrs. Oliver told me to thank you for the pizzas." The driver told him, handing RJ some money.

"I told her they were on the..."

"She insisted on paying." The driver assured him. "We'll take care of them Mr. James."

"Have fun Liv." He told her, waving them off as the car pulled away. RJ just turned and made his way back inside.

Back at the concert venue, Kira was checking over the last minute details. She had already tuned up her guitar, but was yet to get changed. She always liked to do that last thing, since the heat of the lights inevitably caused problems with make-up and clothing. She already knew she'd have to re-tune her guitar because the heat of the lights would cause the strings to expand, meaning they'd be slack again by the time she had her dinner, appearing on stage with running make-up and sweat-stained clothes would only result in embarrassing videos being uploaded to almost every YouTube, Face Book and Live Journal account.

"Kira, where's the pizza?" One of the guys on her label called over. "I'm starving over here!"

"Keith, you're always bloody hungry. You already demolished three foot-long sandwiches." She teased him. "If you keep this up, you won't be able to fit behind your drum kit."

"Never fear Keith, it looks like your saviour is here!" The limo driver called out as he arrived, carrying the large stack of pizzas. All the crew runners and performers rushed over, cheering loudly as they descended on the pile like a pack of vultures. Kira just shook her head and laughed as Liv and Johnny arrived, having wisely chosen to take their own pizzas out the pile.

"Tell RJ he really knows how to win over a road crew." Kira greeted them, coming over. She shook Liv's hand as the star struck teen just grinned inanely at her. "I'm guessing you're Olivia. RJ and Lily have told me all about you!"

"I...uh...um...well...ngh...meh..." Liv started stammering, unable to form any kind of coherent sounds as she stared at her idol. She wasn't just getting a chance to see her in concert, she was actually meeting her, and indeed was getting to sit with her and have dinner.

"They told me you were excited." She commented, placing a hand on her upper arm reassuringly. "Trust me, when I met Ray Davies, I was so nervous I almost fainted. I'm guessing you're Johnny."

"I am." He told her, shaking her hand. Kira pulled him down, kissing his cheek. "Thanks for the backstage passes. It was really great of you."

"No problem, RJ, Lily and I kind of go back a little while." She turned back to Liv. "He's pretty hot...for a kid. You've done really well for yourself."

"I tell myself that a lot." Liv replied as she started to turn a little pink. Kira looked to her T-shirt as she took them towards her private dressing room. "Wow...now that's an old T-shirt, I haven't seen one of them in ages!"

"I managed to get one off eBay." Liv told her, looking a little sheepish. "My dad...my biological dad...never let me to go to concerts."

Kira didn't want to push this, she knew a little about Liv's story. Lily and RJ had explained some of the circumstances around her adoption. She waved over a crew runner.

"We'll soon fix that. Phil, could you get us a couple of concert t-shirts?" She asked him. "I'd guess you're a small, and Johnny...definitely a Large."

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes." He assured her, before heading off to get the shirts. She let them into her changing room and let them sit down, before closing the door. They put down the pizza boxes and opened them.

"Thrilla Gorilla! Any pizza place I go to thinks I'm insane when I ask for bananas on a pizza." She yelled, picking up a slice and beginning to eat. "My kids went nuts for this stuff when we came here the first time."

"RJ said you liked it." Johnny replied. Kira looked around; making sure the door was closed and leant in closely.

"I love your hair by the way." She told Liv. "You really are their little badger aren't you?"

Liv and Johnny just stared at each other and then back to Kira. She had made a direct reference to Liv's animal spirit. The only way she could possibly have known was if RJ and Lily had told her.

"I don't know..."

"Your animal spirit?" Kira asked her, before looking at Johnny. "I believe you're a bull aren't you?"

"RJ and Lily told you about that?" Johnny asked her. "Are you Pai Zhuq?"

"No, I'm not Pai Zhuq." She told him, showing them her Dino Gem bracelet, before flexing her wrist, turning it into her Dino Morpher. "We do have a shared history though. Liv's mom and I shared the same colour spandex."

"You were a Power Ranger?" Liv asked her. She then stopped for a second, and remembered something. She was such a fan of Kira's; she had read virtually every magazine that had anything about her, and more than a few biographies. "You went to Reefside High School where you met your husband. That was back in...You were one of the Dino Thunder Rangers!"

"That was how I met my husband." She confirmed with a nod. "My husband and I came to town while your mom was still an active Ranger. We helped her out a little."

"Why would you come to Reefside while there were still monsters attacking?" Johnny asked her. She laughed.

"My husband's done this kind of thing for a while. He's sort of the unofficial Ranger historian." She told them. Just then, the door opened and Philip came back into the room, carrying a couple of t-shirts.

"I got the t-shirts like you asked." He told his boss. Kira just smiled.

"Thanks for that Phil. Could you give us a while?"

He turned and left, closing the door behind him. Kira turned back to them, checking her watch.

"It's still a while before the first act goes on, so we have a little while longer." She assured them. "So tell me, how's your little brother?"

Just then, the door flew open and a man barged in. He was dressed in leather stage gear, and his hair had been styled into a wild mass of hair, held up by what appeared to be enough hair spray to create another hole in the ozone layer. He stormed up to the table and slammed a piece of paper down in front of Kira.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled at her angrily. "You changed the set list?"

"Calm down Eddie, we'll talk about this." Kira told him.

"I had that set list confirmed a week ago and you changed it!" He snarled. "Where's 'Killer Clown'? Or 'Fascist System'? You've just burned two of my songs!"

"Eddie, we really don't need to talk about this in front of the kids, calm down." She told him. "We'll discuss it..."

"You replaced my work, my masterpieces with Julia's crap?" He asked her.

"Look, if you'd just calm down for a second I'd explain. I listened to her songs and they're really good." She told him. "It's only two songs. You have a 12 song set, and 10 of them are yours."

"I'm the lead singer; she's a God Damned drummer!" He snapped. "What the hell does she know about writing songs?"

"Apparently more than you give her credit for." Kira informed him. "I listened to her demos, and I really liked them. Her songs are going to be on the new album. I just want to get them out there and let people hear them..."

"You're changing the album now?" He scoffed as he threw the set list aside. "We had a deal. My lawyer has a contract!"

"Mine does too, and you aren't the exclusive songwriter." Kira informed him. "I signed a five piece band Eddie, not one man and four session musicians."

"I'm not doing this!" He said flatly. "I'm not letting some two-bit drummer push aside my work! If you don't put my songs back on the set list, I'm not going on!"

"Then you'll be in breach of contract and I'll be entitled to sue you." Kira reminded him. "This isn't all about you Eddie, I signed the whole band for a reason. You're going on stage, you'll do those songs, and those songs are going on the album!"

He went to the corner, snatching up the set list and gave her a hard glare.

"I'll do the songs tonight, but you can expect to hear from my lawyer." He replied coldly, before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

"He seems like a nice guy." Liv commented sarcastically, reminding Kira they were there and had heard the whole thing. Kira just sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that." She responded wearily. "Eddie wasn't always an asshole. His band's success just kind of went to his head."

"Well I guess that can happen." Johnny commented. "I've known a few people who started treating people like shit when they started getting a little money and power."

"He just needs to remember who his boss is." Liv replied. "Anyway, there's no need to let this ruin the whole night. The pizza's still warm."

"I suppose you're right." Kira sighed, sitting down with them and picking up another slice. "Anyway, before we were interrupted you were about to tell me about your little brother."

"Oh, he's just adorable." Liv told her. "He's starting to walk a little, he's coming along really well...and he even talks some. He can't quite say my name yet, it always comes out as 'Iv', but it's really cute to see."

"It sounds like it." Kira said with a smile.

In the temple, Susan had arrived back that night with Michaela, bringing her through to the quarters she shared with Jarrod. He was waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the bed as she approached him. He had his hand on an item in the corner which was covered with a white sheet.

"Welcome home sweetheart." He greeted her as she came over, kissing his cheek.

"Is that it?" She asked him. Jarrod just nodded.

"Master Finn finished it a couple of months ago." He told her. "Dom's been keeping it in his room for when Michaela came."

He pulled back the sheet, revealing a hand-carved wooden crib, much like the ones he had made for Holly, David and Algie, though it had her parents' animal spirits carved into the head board, a Lion and a Lioness. Susan came over, setting her daughter into her bed softly, being careful not to wake her.

"I can't believe she's finally home." She whispered to her husband as he out his arms around her. She placed her hands on his softly. "She's just perfect."

"She'll be the first child raised from birth here since RJ." Jarrod told her a little proudly. "I can't believe how happy you've both made me."

"I never thought I'd be this happy either." Susan told him. "I love you Jarrod."

"I love you too." He whispered in reply, gazing down at his daughter, sleeping soundly in her crib.

Back at the concert hall, the crowd was electrified as Kira, the headline act, finished up one of her songs. The supporting acts had all complimented each other perfectly, and all of them had received a great reaction from the crowd. Liv and Johnny were standing in the front row, proudly wearing their new tour t-shirts and screaming their support. Kira took in applause as she waved to the crowd following her number.

"Thank you Ocean Bluff, I love you too!" She called out as she accepted some water from a stage hand, taking a long swig. "I just wanted to dedicate the closing number to one of my biggest fans, and my special guest for the evening Olivia James!"

Liv couldn't contain her joy as Kira announced the dedication. Johnny wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

Kira started to play the opening cords of her final song for the night and began pacing around the stage, starting to get ready for the high point. Just as she hit the crescendo preparing to begin, the pyro fired off.

The crowd immediately fell silent as they saw what happened. The blast was far too strong, and misfired, launching a blast across the stage, catching her in its path.

The band stopped playing as she fell to the floor and stopped moving. Some of her hair and clothing were still alight, but a stage hand ran over quickly, blasting her with a fire-extinguisher before another threw a blanket over her.

"Everybody stay calm, please don't panic!" One of the stage hands called over the mike as the fans started to panic, realising that something had gone horribly wrong. He then turned off the mike so the fans wouldn't hear what was being said and panic.

"Kira!" Liv called out, trying to get to the stage, but in all the chaos, no one could hear her, and security wouldn't let anyone near the stage. Johnny grabbed her and held her back. "Johnny, we have to get up there, that explosion..."

"There are medics up there looking at her." He assured her, gesturing to the emergency crew already checking on her.

"But Johnny..."

"There's nothing we can do, we'd only be getting in the way." He told her. "Security wouldn't let us near her anyway."

"So what are we meant to do?" Liv asked him.

"We do what security's telling everyone to do." He replied. "We calmly make our way to the exit." He told her.

"But Kira..."

"Michelle works in the hospital and Lily and RJ are her friends, we'll hear what's going on through them." He assured her, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the door. "Until then, leave this to the professionals."

Liv had to concede that Johnny was right. There was nothing they could do until the medics had stabilised her and she had been moved to the hospital. She cast a look back over her shoulder, watching as the medics continued to check over her. They weren't performing CPR, so she knew that Kira was alive, albeit more by good luck than anything else.

She hated having to leave Kira before she knew she was alright, but with so many people around, she'd never get to her anyway. All she could do was trust that Johnny was right, and that they would hear more about her condition in good time from her family.


	18. A Frantic Journey

Paramedics rushed Kira into the Emergency Room within minutes of her accident at the concert. She hadn't yet regained consciousness, which was a good thing in some respects since she was burned quite badly and would almost certainly be in a lot of pain. They pushed her gurney into a treatment room, finding full medical team waiting for them.

"She hasn't regained consciousness yet." One of paramedics rushed out. "She appears to have burns across her right hand, arm, hand, shoulder and face. We haven't managed to determine if there is any other damage yet."

"It doesn't look like she was wearing any artificial fibres; that's one thing at least." One of the doctors replied as they started to carefully cut away her outfit so they could get a better look at the damage. "Nothing's melted...right we've lucked out. The label says this thing is cotton, made in Great Britain. The fire safety ratings there are great, that's probably why more damage wasn't done. She's lucky."

"Let's see if she still feels lucky once she's regained consciousness." Another doctor replied.

Meanwhile, Liv and Johnny arrived back at JKP. Although Kira wasn't there to authorise her driver to take them, he had done so anyway, reasoning that she would have wanted him to make sure that they got home alright. After bidding them farewell, the kids went into the restaurant, and headed upstairs to find RJ and Lily enjoying the chance to enjoy the benefits of an empty house for once. They were watching some chick flick, clearly something from Lily's collection. As Liv and Johnny arrived, RJ looked up.

"We thought you might take the scenic route." RJ commented as he saw them. "How was the concert?"

"Have you seen the news in the last couple of hours?" Liv asked them. RJ shook his head.

"We've been having a movie night." He informed them, noticing the slight tinge of panic in her voice. "Liv, what's wrong?"

"There was some kind of accident at the concert." She informed her parents, taking a seat. "One of the pyrotechnic displays misfired or something. Kira was caught in the blast."

"Is she alright?" Lily asked, stopping the DVD and sitting up, looking at them both in alarm.

"The emergency crew was still working on her when security started clearing the building." Johnny told them. "She's probably been taken to the hospital already."

"I'll call Tommy." Lily told RJ. "He needs to know about this."

"I'll head to the hospital and find out if there's anything we can do." RJ added as he grabbed his jacket, pulling it on and grabbing his car keys. "Johnny, I'll drop you off at your place on the way."

Back at the hospital, Kira's eyes fluttered open as she started to come to. She couldn't remember much about the accident, all she could remember was starting on the song when there was a flash, and then...nothing. She was lying on her side, since her shoulder was burned. She could feel a little dull ache, but as she tried to move it intensified, forcing her back onto her side. She reached for her oxygen mask and looked in horror to see her right hand replaced completely by a mass of bandages. An alarm sounded as her heart rate approached a dangerous level, causing the nurses to flock into her room.

"Mrs. Oliver, please try to calm down." One of the nurses instructed her as they tried to calm her down. Kira continued to try to get her mask off to talk. "Call a doctor; we may need to sedate her."

"What happened?" Kira rushed out in panic as she finally managed to get her mask off.

"Mrs. Oliver, it's important..."

"It's alright, her reaction is natural." A doctor stated as he arrived. "Mrs. Oliver, I'm Dr. Wallace. I'm just going to give you a little something to help with the pain and help you relax, and then I'll explain everything. Do you understand?"

Kira just nodded as he prepared a needle. He gave her an injection which seemed to help her with the pain, returning it to a mere dull ache.

"What happened?" She asked him.

"You were involved in some kind of accident with one of your pyrotechnic displays." He informed her. "It misfired and you were caught in the blast. You've received some burns."

"How bad is it?" She asked him.

"There was some burn damage to the right side of your face, your right arm, shoulder and hand." He informed her. "It looks like you were moving away from the blast when it went off, and your clothes took some of the heat. It doesn't look like there should be any scarring, but we'll have to give it a couple of days to be sure."

"What about my hand?" She asked him, showing him the massive bundle of dressings. "What happened to my hand?"

"It looks like your hand took the worst of it." He informed her. "We'll have to wait until the burns subside a little before we can see if..."

"Are the fingers still attached?" Kira asked him, a tear already running down her face.

"Your hand is intact, but with injuries of this kind, we really need to wait until we can perform the appropriate tests." He informed her. "We don't know if there's been any damage to the muscle tissue."

Kira just slumped into the pillow, feeling her tears beginning to overtake her. She didn't want to hear what he had to say, she already knew how serious it could be if the damage had extended to her muscles. She had made a career out of playing the guitar. More importantly than that, she loved music. If her hand had been permanently damaged, then her career as a guitarist would be over.

"Dr. Wallace, there's someone here to see Mrs. Oliver." A nurse told him as she arrived. "He said his name is Robert James."

"I don't think now is..."

"I want to see him." Kira interrupted the doctor. "Please, let him in."

Dr. Wallace thought about it for a while, but eventually opted to allow him in. He nodded to the nurse, indicating she could show RJ through.

"You shouldn't take too long; she's had a nasty shock." He told the Wolf Master. "She needs to rest up as much as possible. Try not to upset her."

RJ made his way to the chair by the side of the bed and sat down as he looked sympathetically at his friend. He had never seen her vulnerable before. He placed his hand on one of the areas of her body that wasn't burnt in a reassuring gesture.

"Lily called Tommy, but she just called to say he already knows." RJ said soothingly. "He's got Adam and Chrissie to agree to watch the twins. He's at the airport trying to get on the first flight out."

Kira didn't answer. She just looked up at him, her eyes filled with an uncharacteristic fear.

"He's coming?" She asked him hopefully. RJ just nodded.

"We couldn't have stopped him if he wanted to." He told her. "He'll be here as soon as he can."

In an airport in Las Vegas, Tommy was waiting anxiously by the check-in desk. He had packed an overnight bag, and he had bought the first ticket he could, but he had also asked the desk to alert him to any cancellations in the hopes of getting an earlier flight.

He fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably as he watched the departure boards. Another flight heading out towards Ocean Bluff changed from boarding to closed, and he groaned in frustration. He was booked on a flight the following morning, but he was desperate to get there earlier.

Just then, a kid came across to him.

"Dr. Oliver?" He asked nervously. Tommy looked up, seeing a slightly scruffy looking kid, wearing torn jean shorts and a flannel shirt. He had long, unkempt hair, and messy stubble. A rucksack was slung over one shoulder.

"Can I help you at all?" He asked the kid.

"Sorry, I'm a little different than you remember. I'm Lenny." He introduced himself. "Lenny Borowitz? I was in your High School a couple of years ago."

Tommy thought about it for a few minutes, before the penny dropped.

"Lenny?" He asked him. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"Yeah, I managed to get into Yale." He informed him. "I was heading out to the West Coast to meet up with some buddies and get some surfing in."

"I remember you were really into your surfing." Tommy recalled. "If I remember rightly, I had to convince you to spend your time more productively."

"Yeah, I was a bit of a loser then. You really turned things around for me." He replied. "I...uh...I heard what happened to your wife. I'm guessing that's why you're here."

"Unfortunately yes, I'm trying to get out to Ocean Bluff." He replied. "I've got a flight out tomorrow morning, but I'm hoping to catch a cancellation."

"That's kind of why I came over." He replied, showing Tommy his ticket. "I heard from the desk that you were looking for a cancellation. I board a flight to Reefside in twenty minutes."

"Reefside's only half an hour's drive from Ocean Bluff." Tommy gasped. "If I left now, I could be in Ocean Bluff tonight."

"You helped me a lot in High School. I'd never have made anything of my life if it wasn't for you." He replied, handing over his ticket. "It wouldn't kill me to miss a few hours' surfing."

"Lenny, I don't know what to say!" Tommy gasped, taking it from him and handing over his own ticket.

"I wouldn't suggest saying much, the flight's boarding any minute." He replied. Tommy handed him over some cash, smiling.

"Here, that should be enough to get you bumped up to business class." Tommy told him as she snatched up his bag and ran through the airport. As he raced through the terminal, threatening to run straight through several other commuters on his way, he only had two thoughts in his mind; getting to Kira, and the fact that past good deeds occasionally did lead to rewards.

Back in Ocean Bluff, RJ had been made to leave the recovery room, and was sitting outside by the time Lily arrived. She came over, hugging him.

"How is she?" Lily asked him.

"She's pretty upset." RJ informed her. "The doctors have given her something to help her sleep."

"How bad is it?" Lily asked him. RJ shook his head.

"I've never seen her like this." He commented. "Apparently her hand took the worst of it. They don't know yet how bad it's going to be."

Lily pulled into him, holding him tightly. She knew as well as anyone how important Kira's music was to her.

"I tried to call Tommy again, but his cell phone was off." Lily informed him. "I think he might have gotten on a flight."

"Well that's one thing at least." RJ sighed in response. "Having friends around her is one thing, but right now, she needs her family."

In Reefside, Conner McKnight was sitting outside the airport terminal in the drop-off zone. Tommy had managed to get a call in to him before he took off to arrange a ride to Ocean Bluff. While he knew he could rent a car at the desk when he arrived, he knew that Conner had a well-earned reputation for driving quickly and having few cares for the rules of the road.

Although he and Krista now had a daughter, he still kept his Mustang in the garage, maintained for when he needed to blow off some steam when his soccer camps and family life got to him a little. As much as he had grown up, there was still a part of him that was a big kid. Tommy rushed out, looking around for his former team mate.

"Tommy, over here!" Conner called out, waving to attract his attention. Tommy ran over, climbing into the passenger seat as Conner started up the car.

"Thanks for this Conner, I really appreciate the ride." Tommy told him as Conner pulled out, earning himself a lot of angry blares from other motorists as he cut them off, throwing the car onto the freeway.

"Krista understood, if anything happened to me she would do the same." Conner assured him. "I've only caught a couple of sketchy news reports, nothing on how she's doing."

"I doubt that information will be made public." Tommy told him. "She was worried about the pyro before the show. She said the guy handling that freaked her out."

"Tommy, there's no point worrying about what happened just yet. If someone's responsible for what happened, the cops will find out." Conner assured him. "In the meantime, all you need to concentrate on is getting to the hospital."

"Of course you're right." Tommy muttered, still struggling to concentrate on any one of the many emotions coursing through him. He was angry that she got hurt, he was afraid for her well-being, and he was upset that he wasn't there for her when she needed him. It was all getting a little too much for him. "I'm just having a hard time keeping my mind on things."

"Hey, I understand." Conner told him, switching lanes chaotically, weaving in and out of traffic and earning himself a lot of disdain from other motorists. "How are the twins?"

"I left them with Adam and Chrissie." Tommy informed him. "You wouldn't believe how big they're getting. Frank's taken a real growth spurt."

"They do that don't they?" Conner replied with a smile. "Toni's really beautiful now, and she seems to be growing every day. She'll be three in July."

"Three?" Tommy asked him, grateful for the distraction. "Wow, where does the time go?"

"It does seem to slip away from us." Conner said with a grin. Tommy could only nod in agreement as they roared along the freeway, all the while hoping that they didn't run into a highway patrol.


	19. Accident Investigation

The following morning, police were at the concert hall, looking around the scene of the accident for evidence. So far, they hadn't found anything too out of the ordinary, a couple of scorch marks from the misfired pyrotechnics, but that was about all.

"This is a waste of time." One of the cops complained loudly. "It was an accident, pure and simple. The same thing happened to Michael Jackson when he was filming a Pepsi ad."

"Look, I'm no happier being here than you are, but we're here to do a job." Murphy reminded him. Murphy had been a friend of Susan's back when she was a cop. More accurately, he was a life-time patrol officer with no motivation that had made entirely the wrong impression on his then-lieutenant. He had stayed in touch with her since she had resigned, and over that time, they had gotten closer.

He had actually started to get a little more focused on his job since then. He had become more involved in community relations, a job he loved. He had dropped a considerable amount of weight, close to 100 lbs already, and had started paying more attention to his duties. He had a new lease on life now that he had rediscovered his love of the job.

"Alright, this is the last mortar." He told him, pulling out an evidence bag and a digital camera. He could tell from a couple of scorch marks on the floor, along with accounts of the accident that this was the one that had injured Kira. He took a couple of shots.

"Well even I can see the firing mechanism is at the wrong angle." One of the other officers stated with a shrug. "It's aiming across the stage. No wonder it hit her."

Murphy continued to take a few more pictures of the mortar, looking at it curiously. The other cop just groaned.

"Look, you've taken enough photos don't you think?" He asked him. "Now let's just pass this over to the insurance investigators."

"Why would the mechanism be aiming across the stage?" Murphy asked him.

"I don't know, maybe it wasn't set up right." The cop suggested. "Maybe it wasn't tightened properly."

"Do you remember what the pyro guy told us?" Murphy asked him. "He personally sets and tightens up the mechanisms. He's the only one that touches them."

"So we know who's responsible for the accident." The cop replied. "The pyro guy screwed up. One of the runners told us that Kira had words with him about his show. She said he was reckless..."

"I read his whole report, he said he sets up the mortars, and then the last thing he does is spray paint them black so they blend in with the rest of the set, so that the crowd don't notice them." Murphy reminded him.

"So what does that mean?" The cop asked him. Murphy pulled out a pen and pointed to some scrapes on the paint near the misaligned firing mechanism.

"When we unbolted the other mortars, we caused tool marks just like these on the bolts holding them to the floor." He told him. "Someone tampered with this display after it was sprayed."

"So are you trying to say that you think this wasn't an accident?" The cop asked.

"I don't know." Murphy replied. "But I think it's worth checking everyone's statements again."

Over at the hospital, Kira slowly woke up, looking around the room. She smiled as she saw Tommy sitting in the corner, having fallen asleep as he watched over her. He had obviously arrived during the night after she had gone to sleep. Lily and RJ had told her that Tommy was trying to get out to Ocean Bluff to see her. He started to stir and wiped some drool from his mouth, before looking over, seeing his wife looking at him.

"Is it sick that I find even that attractive?" She asked him. "You came."

"I came as quickly as I could." He assured her, coming to her side, sitting down and stroking her hair. "I got on the first plane out I could. Conner got himself a speeding ticket giving me a lift from Reefside airport."

"He doesn't need your help to do that." She replied. She looked down to the mass of bandaging on her right hand and sighed.

"I've spoken to the doctors." He told her. "They say they doubt the burns will scar. They think you should..."

"It's my hand they're worried about." She mumbled, looking at it sadly. "They don't know if it'll recover properly."

"Kira, you're going to be fine." He whispered softly.

"Tommy, how can you say that?" She asked him. "Some asshole nearly blew my hand off! This might be the end of my career!"

"Kira, you can't think like that." He said soothingly. "We can get the best doctors. You know RJ and Flit will help where they can. If there's a way we can get you better, we will."

"Tommy, I know I still have my production company. I know we have plenty of money. I know that we'll be alright if I can't play anymore." She said as a couple of tears rolled down her face. "It won't be the same though."

Tommy just held her hand gently as she said this. He knew how important her music was to her. She had never been the most popular of kids at school; even the other members of the band she was part of were all quite a bit older than her. Three of them were college students, and one of them even had a full-time job and a kid. Outside of the band, she never really had anything in common with them, and they didn't really have much to talk about. Until her final year at school, she was more than a little bit of a loner. If it wasn't for her tenure as a Ranger, she would never have made friends with Ethan, Conner or Trent and she certainly wouldn't have ended up with Tommy. Until then, for much of her life, her music was her only friend. To have that taken away from her would be a lot worse than losing her arm, never mind her hand.

Back at the police station, Murphy was invited to sit in on the interviews. A detective was the one assigned to the investigation. She was a stern looking woman, around 6' 1" with blazing red hair. She was wearing a dark blue pants suit, with a brilliant white blouse. Her wire-rimmed glasses gave her the look of a headmistress. The pyro-technician was shown into the room.

"I'm detective Harding, this is officer Murphy." She introduced them. "For the benefit of the tape, would you please state your name?"

"Lenny Dunn." He stated into the microphone.

"We wanted to ask you a few questions relating to the accident which harmed Mrs...."

"Is she alright?" He interrupted Detective Harding. "I tried calling the hospital, but they wouldn't tell me anything."

"Mrs. Oliver was seriously hurt in the explosion." Detective Harding informed him. "We just wanted some details about the accident."

"How long have you been involved in Pyrotechnics?" Murphy asked him. Lenny looked worried, he had always known since he saw the fireworks malfunction that he was likely to be held accountable for the accident.

"I've always been involved in it. I started making fireworks when I was about 10." He informed them.

"We were asking more about your qualifications." Murphy clarified. Lenny just looked a little concerned.

"I took a real interest in physics and explosives. I went to MIT straight out of high school." He informed them. "I've been working on pyro displays for the entertainment industry for over 20 years."

"Have you ever made a miscalculation?" Detective Harding asked him.

"I'm always careful." He informed them. "When you have explosives going off within a few feet of people, you can't take any chances."

"Just answer the question." She said firmly. Lenny shook his head.

"When I was 12 I burned down my dad's garage with one of my early experiments." He rough replied. "I couldn't sit down for a week once dad was through with me. That's why I learned how to do things properly."

"I have a notification about an incident on the set of a small independent film relating to one of your displays." She told him, pulling out a report and placed it down on the table. "It's a personal injury claim on the part of..."

"That case was thrown out." He interrupted her. "I was given sub-standard equipment to work with. I quit the production the day before the accident."

"So it was not your fault?" Murphy asked him.

"Someone used a rig I had warned them wasn't safe." He told them. "It turned out the director didn't have insurance, so the actor who was hurt tried to sue me. The case ended up being dismissed."

"You say that you rigged the display yourself." Murphy chipped in. "Is that normal? Don't you have a team to help you?"

"Ever since that incident I always do the last minute checks myself." He informed them. "That way I can't be blamed for someone else's mistake."

"So when rigging the mortars, what is your standard procedure?" Murphy asked him.

"I align the barrels to fire away from the performer, and then I tighten the bolts." He informed them. "I use an airgun to make sure they don't slip. Then I spray paint the mortar to blend into the scenery."

"Have you ever adjusted the rig after spraying it?" Murphy asked him. He just shook his head.

"I only paint them once the adjustments are complete." He informed them. Murphy showed him a picture of the mortar.

"As you can see there are tool marks on the rig." Murphy informed him. "Are you sure you didn't adjust the rigs?"

"No, I did the final adjustments at 7:30 PM." He replied. "The runners can confirm that. Once I was finished, we went backstage to play poker. We were there all night until the accident."

"So how do you explain the accident?" Detective Harding asked him.

"I don't know, all I know is that wasn't how I left it." He told them. Just then, another cop came into the room, handing them a report.

"An analysis came back on your tools. None of them had any black paint on them." Detective Harding informed him. "It appears your tools were not used to alter the rigs."

"So you think I'm innocent?" He asked them.

"Don't leave the hotel; we may need to ask you some more questions." Detective Harding instructed him. Just as he was about to leave, she held up a hand. "Just one more question. Do you know of any reason why anyone would want to harm Mrs. Oliver?"

"You think someone did this on purpose don't you?" Lenny asked them.

"Just answer the question please." She sighed. He thought about it.

"Eddie seemed to be majorly pissed at her." He informed them. "He stormed into her dressing room and screamed at her for ages."

"Do you know what the fight was about?" Detective Harding asked him. He nodded.

"We could hear him on the other side of the building." He replied. "Everyone knows Eddie's a prima donna. He was sore because she made his band change their set list. She wanted to put two of Julia's songs on the list. She's changing the album too."

"I take it Eddie wasn't happy about this." Murphy asked him.

"He was livid." He responded.

"That should be all for now." Murphy assured him. "Thanks for your time."

Over at JKP, Lily and RJ were trying to keep things running as normally as possible. They knew that having seen the accident in person, Liv had been quite shaken, and to they were trying not to make a big thing out of it. Johnny was working out with her in the apartment ahead of their shift that afternoon.

"You're doing well Johnny, keep it up." RJ yelled, encouraging him. "Don't stay too stationary Liv; he's bigger than you, keep moving."

Johnny was holding back on her, he already knew that she was still thinking about the accident. Her mind clearly wasn't on the task at hand. RJ watched them for a moment, before rushing onto the mat, sweeping Johnny's legs from under him, and hip-tossing Liv to the floor.

"Both of you need to pay attention!" He sighed as they both got back to their feet slowly. "Look, I know you're both worried about Kira, I am too, but you need to stay focused on the task at hand."

"Sorry RJ." They chorused together, looking down. RJ just shook his head.

"Alright, I can see we aren't going to get anything productive done today. Try meditating for a while and then hit the showers. We'll concentrate on your animal spirits tomorrow. We wouldn't want another incident like the stereo, would we Johnny?"

Johnny just nodded his head. They were still getting used to controlling their animal spirits, and as a result there were sometimes a few little accidents. Johnny had accidentally thrashed RJ's stereo when an errant attack missed his target completely and his bull spirit ran straight through the entertainment system. Johnny and Liv both made their way to the corner as Lily arrived.

"How are they holding it together?" Lily asked him.

"They're both pretty upset." He told her. "Is there any more news?"

"Tommy's with her now." She replied. "There's been no real update on her condition."

"I really wish there was something else we could tell them." RJ continued. "Has Susan heard anything from the department?"

"She hasn't said anything yet." Lily told him. "I think the investigation's going slowly."

"Well hopefully that means it's thorough." RJ stated, wrapping his arms around his wife. "I'd hate to think anyone would want to hurt her, but given her past, we can't rule it out."

Back at the police station, Julia, the drummer for Eddie's band was in the interview room. Murphy took the lead in questioning her.

"We heard there was a disagreement between Eddie Johnson and Mrs. Oliver." Murphy began. "Can you tell us what that was about?"

"Eddie was being an asshole." She stated bluntly. "I've been with the band for four years now, and I've been trying to get my songs noticed all that time. Kira heard some of my stuff and wanted to get it on the album and he threw his toys out the pram."

"He was upset that your material was being used?" Murphy asked her as Detective Harding took some notes.

"He thinks because he's the lead singer that he's the only one who can decide what's best for the band." She told them. "Everyone knows it's been months since he wrote anything worth a shit. I just wanted to try my stuff and Kira believed in me."

"We understand that you and Eddie have been involved in a relationship for a number of years." Detective Harding added.

"Not anymore." She muttered, crossing her arms defiantly. "We broke up two years ago. All the attention went to his head and he became a complete dick."

"So you've stayed with the band despite the split?" Murphy asked her. She nodded.

"I'm not going to screw up my career because of him." She spat angrily. "We got together in High School; the relationship had run its course, end of story."

"So Eddie found out about the set list, and he confronted you first of all didn't he?" Murphy asked her. "We heard you had a row about it."

"I kept trying to get him to look at my stuff, but he wouldn't give me the time of day." She informed them. "Eventually I went over his head and gave it straight to Kira. He was livid, but I didn't care. I was finally going to get a chance to show everyone what I could do. I told him to take his complaint to Kira and he stormed into her changing room."

"That's when he had the argument with Kira." Detective Harding asked her, becoming interested.

"He started spouting some shit about how he was going to call his lawyer and threatened to pull out of our deal. Kira just sent him packing." Julia told them with a smile. "He was absolutely humiliated; it's the funniest thing I've ever seen."

Just then, an officer came into the room, handing Detective Harding a report. She looked at it, before pointing to the door.

"Interview terminates as 12:02 PM. Thank you for your help." She told her. Julia got up and left, at which Detective Harding gave Murphy a smile.

"Well I think we have a case." She told him. "I just had Eddie's record pulled. He's got a record a mile long. Destruction of property, assault, narcotics…"

"That doesn't sound good." Murphy agreed. "We know he and Kira argued, and he was threatened with legal action."

"There's something else too." She told him. "Forensics found a ratchet wrench in his guitar case. It has traces of black paint on it."

"He has opportunity and motive." Murphy stated, seeing the picture starting to form. "He's known to have no problem hurting people, and there's evidence connecting him to this."

"Get a couple of guys and make your way to the hotel." She told him. "I'll call a judge. I want a warrant for the arrest of Eddie Johnson."


	20. Eddie's Flight

Eddie was sitting in his hotel room, finishing with his lunch when he heard a knock at the door. He made his way over, finding Murphy and another officer standing outside. He took a casual slug of champagne straight from the bottle.

"Can I help you?" He asked them. "I made my statement..."

"Could you put the bottle down please sir?" Murphy asked him. "Eddie Johnston, you are under arrest..."

He was cut off as Eddie spat champagne in his face, before reaching into Murphy's holster, pulling out his gun and pointing it at him.

"Lose the heat!" He barked at the other cop in his panic. He was running completely on adrenaline, and wasn't thinking clearly. Murphy looked up to him, holding his hands up and backing away.

"Think about what you're doing Eddie, you just pulled a gun on a cop." Murphy told him. "You're already looking at serious time for assault, maybe attempted murder. You really don't want to do this."

"I didn't do anything!" He screamed, waving them both into his room. "I had nothing to do with the accident!"

"Just calm down and put the gun down." Murphy told him. "You run now, you'll not get a chance to tell your side of the story. You have to appreciate how this looks."

"I never did anything to her!" He screamed.

"You were heard arguing with her before the concert." Murphy reminded him. "Several people can confirm you had made threats against her..."

"I didn't do it!" He reiterated. "Sure I was pissed about the album, but I'd never have done anything like that!"

"Just put down the gun and come with us." Murphy told him. "We'll look into this and..."

"You've already made up your minds that I'm guilty." Eddie told him. "Give me the keys to the patrol car."

Eddie threw the keys to Eddie, who backed slowly out of the room, and got into the elevator, keeping the gun trained on the door. As soon as the elevator started to descend, Murphy got on the radio.

"Eddie's done a runner, he's got a gun." He relayed as they got to the elevators, pressing the call button. "He's taken the keys to the patrol car. I repeat, the suspect is armed, approach with extreme caution!"

In the hospital, Kira and Tommy made their way into a treatment room, where a doctor was waiting for them.

"Mrs. Oliver, I'm going to remove the dressing to see what we're up against." He told her as he took her wrist gently. "Do you want something for the pain before we begin?"

"I'm alright at the moment." She assured him. The doctor took some scissors from the table and started to cut the bandages free. Kira looked down on her hand sadly. The flesh was red, and noticeably burnt. It was the first time she had seen it since before the accident.

"Can you flex your fingers for me please?" He asked her. Kira winced in pain as she started to move her fingers.

"I'm sorry, it hurts too much." She told him. The doctor just nodded.

"I'm just going to manipulate your fingers a little, please just tell me when it hurts." He told her, beginning to move her fingers. Kira gritted her teeth and held Tommy's hand as he continued his examination. "Alright, it doesn't look like there's any problem with the joints. I think it's mainly flesh damage."

"So I should get the use of my hand back?" Kira asked him.

"I'm afraid it's really too early to tell." He told her. "I don't think the muscles have been damaged, but we'll need to wait until the flesh heals a little more before we can take a closer look."

He rubbed some ointment into her hand, before starting to re-wrap the injury. Kira heard a small knock on the door, and looked up seeing Julia standing there.

"Julia, hi." Kira greeted her with a smile.

"I just wanted to come and see how you were." She informed her.

"I now know how a well-done steak feels." She replied, trying to make Julia a little more comfortable. "I really appreciate you coming to visit."

"I swear I aged about 10 years when that mortar went off." She replied nervously. "I couldn't believe it when you were hurt."

"Well I have to admit that it wasn't the best end to a concert." Kira commented. "Remind me to kick Lenny's ass when I get out of here. I kept telling him to calm down on the explosives."

"Kira, haven't you heard the news?" Julia asked her. Kira looked a little confused.

"What news?" Kira asked her. Julia sighed.

"It wasn't an accident." Julia told her. "The mortars were tampered with."

"Someone did this to me on purpose?" Kira gasped. "Who?"

"The cops think it was Eddie." She informed her. "They went to arrest him and he pulled a gun on them. It's all over the news."

"I can't believe this, I could have been killed!" She screamed. "He did this to me over that argument we had?"

"Listen, I know this isn't really the best time, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about." She said a little hesitantly. "With Eddie gone..."

"We can get another guitarist Julia." Kira sighed. "Trust me; you've got nothing to worry about. I'll honour your contract."

"That's just it, after this...I'm not really sure we can go back and just pretend nothing happened." She replied. "Any time I see the guys, all I can think about is Eddie and what he did. I can't keep this up."

"You want to quit?" Kira asked her. Julia nodded.

"I think it'd be for the best if you released me from my contract." Julia told her. "It's just not the same."

"Well it's going to be sad to see you go." Kira replied. "But if you're sure..."

"I just can't face the guys." She replied. "They're all Eddie's guys. It'd just be a reminder of what happened."

"Well I'll call my lawyer and have a release drawn up." Kira replied. "I should be able to get it to you by this time tomorrow."

Murphy was back at the station, writing up a report of the incident when he heard a knock on the door. Looking up, he saw Keith and Marv, the other two members of Eddie's band standing there.

"Can I do something to help you?" He asked.

"You can call off the search for Eddie for a start." Marv snorted. "Surely you can't believe that shit about him trying to kill Kira."

"The evidence all points to him." Murphy replied. "I know he's your friend, but he's got a history of violent and dangerous behaviour..."

"Eddie's done some seriously stupid shit in the past; I know I was there for most of it." Keith told him. "But he couldn't have done this."

"He pulled my gun on me and ran." Eddie reminded them. "He stole a patrol car, that isn't the actions of an innocent man."

"He knows he's been set up. He's terrified he's going down." Marv explained. "With his record, he's going down for years, even if it isn't ruled to be attempted murder."

"Even if that is true, we found the ratchet wrench." Murphy told them.

"It was planted." Marv told him. "There's no way Eddie could have done that."

"Look, as much as I like Eddie, he's a complete moron. He wouldn't know how to alter the mortar." Keith told him. "Hell, he can't even set up his own amp. We need to do that for him."

"We only have your word for it..."

"Why would he want to kill Kira?" Marv asked him. "We were doing nickel and dime gigs in shit hole bars before she discovered us. We've earned a fortune because of her. Sure Eddie's a bit of a hot head, but even he knows that he'd lose a fortune if we lost this deal."

Murphy had to admit that they had a point with that argument. Eddie was locked into a contract with Kira's production company. Even if she was hurt or killed, he still would be under contract. It would cost him a fortune in legal fees if he broke his deal with her.

"Eddie couldn't have done it. He would never risk touching the pyro. Do you have any idea how much he could lose if anything happened to him?" Keith asked. "Hell, his hands are insured for seven figures!"

He had heard that it was common practice now among musicians and athletes to insure their bodies against career-ending injuries.

"Look, I know that you're his friends, but it wouldn't have been that difficult to do." Murphy explained. "It was only a bolt that needed to be..."

"It couldn't have been him. We know for a fact it couldn't be." Marv told him. "He was...relaxing..."

"I think it's a bit late for euphemisms." Keith interjected. "He was whacked out on ice."

"Crystal Meth?" Murphy asked them. "He was smoking Crystal Meth?"

"He's been a user for years; he gets wasted after just about every gig." Marv informed him. "We found him passed out in his changing room and poured him into a taxi back to the hotel at about 10 PM."

"He was that loaded?" He asked.

"Trust me, Eddie was so baked he wouldn't have been capable of holding a ratchet wrench, let alone use one." Keith replied. "That's why all his gear was still at the concert hall. We left it there to get him back to the hotel."

"We never found any evidence of drug use." Murphy told them. Marv just sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a glass pipe.

"This is his; we took it from his changing room." He admitted. "You can test it if you like."


	21. Eddie's Arrest

The following day, Tommy helped Kira get dressed. Despite the hospital's initial concerns, there really wasn't much they could do at the hospital that necessitated her staying there. The doctors would need to see her every few days to check on her recovery, and so long as she cleaned and treated her burns and changed the dressings regularly, there wasn't any reason for her to stay.

As she finally finished getting her blouse buttoned up, taking care not to aggravate her burns, Lily came into the room.

"We got your stuff from the hotel." She informed her. "Are you nearly ready to go?"

"I can't get out of here fast enough, trust me." Kira complained as Tommy helped her off the bed. "I've always hated hospitals."

"I don't think there's really anyone that likes them." Tommy commented. "We really appreciate you putting us up. We wouldn't have minded paying for a room."

"Please, we're friends; we'd love to have you." Lily said cheerfully. "I've even managed to convince Liv that she can't say anything to any of the kids at school. As great as it would be for business, I'm sure you could do without the place being crowded out by screaming kids."

"I'd really appreciate that." Kira assured her. "Now, if you don't mind, I really want out of here."

In another part of town, Eddie was hiding out under an overpass. It had now been a full day since he had run from the cops. He honestly had no idea what he was going to do, or where he could go. All he knew was that right now, the cops thought he was responsible for what had happened to Kira.

He was beginning to regret his decision to run. While he knew that his record didn't exactly paint him in a great light, and that the police had come to arrest him for a crime that was bound to result in a lengthy sentence if he was convicted, his flight was hardly helping. So far he had already stolen a patrol car, which he had ended up disposing of in an aqueduct a few hundred yards from the hotel, stolen a gun and threatened a police officer.

By now, he knew that there would be an APB out on him. He hadn't simply left the city, largely because he couldn't think of where to go. Ocean Bluff was still a significant distance from the border; he needed a vehicle, preferably one a lot less conspicuous than a police car. He was a celebrity, and by now news of his flight would have spread which meant that it would be virtually impossible to move around too much without someone recognising him and turning him in.

He pulled his coat around himself more tightly as he made his way through the streets, concealing his face as much as he could. He kept his right hand in his pocket, keeping hold of the gun. In some ways, he considered simply getting rid of it. He had seen enough TV to know that if police confronted an armed suspect, there was a good chance they would take any sudden move as a potential attack and open fire. If he was going to be caught, it was better that he was unarmed.

Of course, he didn't know anyone he could rely on for help. He wasn't from Ocean Bluff; this was his first visit to the city. He couldn't talk to his band mates; he knew that was pretty much the first thing the cops would likely think of. He also had very little money, certainly not enough to buy a car, and he knew from watching television that they would likely be looking for any activity on his bank accounts or credit cards. No, the fact was that he was in trouble and he knew it.

As he made his way through the street, something caught his eye. He had been in Briarwood a few weeks earlier as part of the same tour. He recognised the Rock Porium logo, and especially the rather eccentric owner. He wasn't just the owner of a store that just sold music, part of the Rock Porium's charm, part of its business plan to identify with its customers by keeping their finger on the pulse. Toby had many contacts within the industry, and commonly traded information of upcoming deals, concerts and releases.

He made his way inside, finding Susan opening boxes, and arranging stock to put on the shelves. The door to the back was open, and he could hear someone else out the back. Obviously they had only just taken a delivery.

"Welcome to the Rock Porium." Susan greeted him. "Sorry about the mess, how can I help you?"

"I've heard about the accident at the concert the other night." He told her. "I was wondering if you'd heard anything about how Kira is."

"I've heard that she's hurt, but she's stable." Susan told him. "Are you a fan?"

"Yeah, I am." Eddie told her, making sure he didn't look directly at her, hoping she wouldn't recognise him. Despite his earlier outburst against her, he genuinely was grateful to Kira. She had plucked him and his band from obscurity, and given them an opportunity to do things that they would never have dreamed. Despite his anger, one born out of arrogance in his own image, he knew that she was responsible for his career. He was relieved at least she was alive, and by the sounds of it, wasn't hurt as seriously as he had first believed.

"So what can I help you with?" She asked him.

"I just wanted to look around." He told her. "Is that alright?"

"Be my guest." Susan told him. "Just let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

Eddie started to make his way around the store, pretending to browse. He watched as Theo came in the back door, carrying another box. He didn't have much in the way of ideas, but he could tell by the number of boxes, that he had to have been unloading them from some kind of vehicle. There was a van or a car out the back. His hand strayed to the gun again as he weighed up his options. Susan was a woman, and Theo wasn't an especially big guy, while he had a gun. He was sure that if he just went for it, if he pulled the gun, they wouldn't try and stop him.

Just then, he noticed something on the stand. On a magazine there, he noticed a logo for another production company, one centred in Ocean Bluff, Oceanic Records. He remembered being approached by an agent in Florida a while ago, who gave him a card and asked him to call. He had, at first, intended to threaten Kira with jumping labels to get a better deal when his contract expired in a couple of years. It was the one next to him that caught his attention though. Not only was there a picture of him and his band, but a story relating to his escape. He picked up the magazine, and started reading it.

Theo laid down a box, and started to make his way toward the back again, but stopped as he caught a look at Eddie. He had to do a double-take, but he was sure he was right. He knelt next to Susan, pulling a magazine out of a box.

"Theo..."

He put a finger to his lips, gesturing to her to stay quiet, and showed her the magazine. He then nodded in Eddie's direction.

Susan had to squint to see properly, but she confirmed what he suspected. Theo got up, and started to make his way slowly around the shelves as Susan got up, and coughed to attract his attention.

"We've got some new stock in, would you like to see?" She asked him.

"It's alright." He replied, realising he had been there too long without showing any signs of a move. He gripped the gun in his coat, and held up the magazine. "This is all."

Susan made her way towards the register, giving Theo the opportunity he was looking for. He lunged forward, grabbing Eddie's hand and throwing him to the ground, holding him in a tight arm lock, snatching the gun out of his hand. He threw it aside as Eddie screamed.

"Call the cops!" Theo told her. "I'll hold him here."

Back at the police station, Murphy was looking through the evidence again, trying to piece together some kind of thread. So far, he only had circumstantial evidence for the theory that Eddie was innocent. Detective Harding noticed him looking through Eddie's belongings and scoffed.

"Hoping to figure out where to find him?" She asked him. "I didn't know you fancied yourself as a profiler."

"Do you know what I see here?" He asked her. "I see a guy that has a lot of reasons NOT to want Mrs. Oliver to get hurt."

"You actually buy that story about him being too high to cause the accident?" She asked him in disbelief. "You know that's a pretty lame excuse. Without a blood work..."

"His passport has numerous stamps on it, all from within the last six months." He told her, showing it to her. "He has several ticket stubs..."

"So he's a slob and doesn't empty his bag." She said with a shrug.

"All of the stubs are first class." He told her. "I did some checking around, he always has a suite when he stays at a hotel. In the last month alone, his royalties cheque was in the high five figures. Why would he want to ruin that?"

"People always want more. Greed is human nature." Harding told him.

"I'm just starting to think that maybe we're missing something." Murphy told her. "I've got the communications guys pulling up his phone records for the last two years."

Just then, an officer came into the room.

"Detective Harding, we just got a call. Someone's made a citizen's arrest. We've got the bastard!" He told her.

"Well now I guess we can try out your "he was high" theory." She said with a little smile. "Come on! Let's pick him up!"

Murphy didn't go with them though; he was too busy waiting on the e-mail from the communications department.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Julia was in the offices of Oceanic Records, sitting in a waiting area outside the manager's office. She fidgeted in her chair, looking around nervously as she waited. Finally the manager came out of his office.

"Come on in." He invited her. Julia did as she was told, going into his office. "I was really surprised to hear from you."

"Well I figured it was time for a change Mr. Caine." She told him, shaking his hand. "So did you like the demo?"

"I loved this demo as much as I liked the other one." He assured her. "The last time, Eddie said you were locked into a long term contract for another couple of years."

"Mrs. Oliver has agreed to sign a contract release." Julia informed him. "I just figured that it was about time for a change. I've been with the guys long enough."

"Well I have to admit that I did always have an eye on taking you solo when I approached you the last time." He admitted. "I really think you've been wasted as a drummer, especially now I've seen some of the stuff you're written."

"I was hoping to hear you say something like that." She replied with a little smile. "So is that contract still on the table?"


	22. Murphy's Investigation

Eddie was taken into an interview room by Murphy, finding Detective Harding already there. He was shown to a chair, and allowed to sit.

"We have evidence to the fact..."

"I didn't do anything to Kira!" He snapped. "You don't have anything on me! I want a lawyer!"

"Well that would be for the best." Detective Harding told him. "You're going down for a long time for this. We have all the evidence..."

"I told you, I didn't do it!" He screamed loudly. "Why would I want her dead? I'm earning a fortune on her label!"

"Several witnesses heard you arguing with her about the content of your next album." Detective Harding informed him. "According to our sources Mrs. Oliver threatened to sue you if you tried to get out of your contract."

"I only threatened to pull out. I would never have actually done it." He replied. "It was an empty threat. I just wanted her to pull those songs!"

"Well we only have your word for that." She told him. "Of course since you did pull a gun on a police officer and stole a patrol car, I'm a little reluctant to believe you."

"Listen, I don't know who did this, but it wasn't me." Eddie reiterated.

"The wrench was in your guitar case." She reminded him.

"I was set up!" He protested. "I got loaded after my set, and I went back to the hotel. I never even went near the pyro!"

Murphy was beginning to have his doubts about the case. While there wasn't any evidence to support Eddie's side of the story, he had a point. It wouldn't make sense for him to try and hurt Kira. It was possible that someone else had tampered with the mortar and then planted the wrench in his guitar case. Everyone knew about the argument, and they knew that Eddie wasn't the most level-headed of people. It would be easy to convince people that he did it.

"If you didn't do it, then do you have another explanation?" Detective Harding asked him.

"I don't know. Everyone likes Kira." He told her. "I can't think of anyone that would want to hurt her."

"Well clearly someone did." Detective Harding replied. "So unless you have anything else to say, I think you should be making a call to your lawyer."

Johnny was running a delivery for RJ to the offices of Sunshine Records. He wasn't a huge fan of delivery runs, because he hadn't yet gotten a driver's licence it meant he had to walk.

"Ok, I have three meat lover's specials, a thrilla gorilla and a soyrific safari. That'll be 43 bucks." He called out. The girl behind the desk just looked out some money. Johnny saw Julia leaving as she paid him.

"Keep the change." The receptionist told him.

"Yeah, no problem." Johnny responded, thinking it was curious that she was there. As far as he knew, Julia was still under contract to Kira's production company. What would she be doing at another record company?

In another part of town, Murphy came into the Rock Porium, finding Susan stacking some shelves. She stopped what she was doing.

"Murphy, how are you?" She asked him. "Here to thank me for getting your man?"

"Here I was under the impression you quit the force." He replied with a small laugh. Susan noticed something odd about him though; he didn't seem to be overly pleased about the case coming to a close.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to this case than you're letting on?" Susan asked him. He just shrugged.

"I don't know, I mean...I know they always say they're innocent, but I'm starting to think there's something odd about all this." He told his friend. "He doesn't have a motive."

"You think he was set up?" Susan asked him. "Who would benefit from Kira's accident?"

Just then Johnny came into the store, carrying Susan's lunch order.

"Here's your lunch." Johnny told her. "What's going on?"

"Murphy was just talking to me about the case." Susan informed him. "He's saying he had doubts Eddie did it."

"Really?" Johnny asked. "Who do you think did it?"

"Well I can't really think who would benefit from this." Murphy told him. "I mean, everyone there got on with Kira really well. The acts are all contractually tied to her; no one would have anything to gain."

"Are you sure they're contractually tied to her?" Johnny asked him.

"Yeah, why?" Murphy asked him.

"Because I just delivered an order to Sunshine Records, and when I was there I saw that Julia chick there." He informed them.

"Eddie's drummer?" Murphy asked him. "Are you sure?"

"I got a really good look at her." Johnny replied. "I'm positive it was her."

"Johnny, I need to speak to Kira." He replied. "Would you like a ride back to the restaurant?"

Later in the day, Julia was sitting in the bar of her hotel when Murphy came in with another couple of police officers.

"What's happening?" She asked him as the police officers surrounded her.

"Eddie's innocent, but then you already knew that didn't you?" Murphy asked her. "You were the one that set him up!"

"What are you talking about?" Julia asked him. "This is insane, I like Kira. She's the one that gave me an opportunity..."

"According to everyone you've not been happy in the band for a while. Eddie kept holding you back, refusing to let you perform your own material." Murphy explained. "You were seen in the offices of Sunshine Records. I had an interesting little chat with the manager there, and he told me he approached you to offer you a contract."

"Surely you don't believe this!" Julia shrieked. "I like Kira..."

"Sunshine Records approached your band months ago; we have Eddie's phone records to confirm that." He told her. "However, when we asked him, the manager told us he only planned to offer the band a contract because he was interested in signing you. He was intending to drop the others."

"I never did anything..."

"Of course you couldn't sign a contract with him while you were still under contract to Kira. That's why you caused her accident." Murphy explained. "Kira told us how you asked her for a release. You knew that she wouldn't hold you to a contract if Eddie was arrested, so you tampered with the pyro before her performance, and you put the wrench into Eddie's case to frame him."

Julia tried to run, but one of the other cops grabbed her, holding her steady. He pulled out handcuffs, locking them on.

"Once we get you back to the station, we'll check the wrench for fingerprints." He assured her. "Of course we both know what we'll find."

"You have no idea what it was like! He's been holding me back for years!" She screamed as she struggled. "He deserved it!"

"Kira didn't." Murphy told her. "Take her away."


	23. Donny's Surprise

Flit was checking over Kira's hand as Gabby came into the loft. Kira managed to force a smile through her pain seeing the young girl she had met during her brief comeback against Lothor and Miratrix.

"How are things?" Gabby asked her.

"I feel like a well cooked ham." Kira commented. "How's Storm Chargers coming along?"

"We're nearly ready to open." Gabby told her. "The painters took a little longer than I'd have liked, but everything's ready to go. Once the kids break off school for the summer, I'm ready to rock."

"Well I'm happy with this." Flit told her as he looked out some ointment. "I'm sure you'll want to consult your own doctor, but I'm confident the burns haven't gone too deep. I can't see any muscle damage."

"So you think I'll get the use of my hand back?" Kira asked him.

"I'd be willing to bet my life on it." He assured her. "You're pretty tough."

"I'm just pleased to hear there won't be any lasting damage." Kira remarked. "I don't know what I'd have done if I couldn't play anymore."

"Well the ointments should help." Flit assured her as he massaged it into the burns. "I'll make some up for you before you go. I imagine the twins will be missing their mommy."

"I miss them too." Kira assured him. "I can't wait to go back and see them at the weekend."

"So you're staying for the wedding?" Gabby asked her with a bright smile. It was now only a couple of days until she finally married Dom. She wanted to have her honeymoon after Master Finn and Barbara got home, but before the store was due to open. It was her baby; she couldn't leave it to someone else to be there the opening week, even though Shane was more than happy to cover. She needed to be there.

"Try and stop me kiddo." Kira replied as Flit started to re-wrap her dressing. "I'm in town anyway; I may as well stick around for the festivities."

"Hey guys." Dom announced as he arrived, kissing Gabby's cheek. "What's happening?"

"We're just discussing the wedding." Kira told him. "Are you getting nervous yet?"

"When I have the most beautiful girl in the world waiting for me?" He asked her, causing Gabby to laugh. "Please, I'm looking forward to it."

"What you're not looking forward to is the bachelor party." Gabby told him. "Jarrod better not give you too wild a night, I want you in one piece for Friday."

"Hey, you know I don't want to mess this up." He assured her, kissing her softly. "Anyway, my shift's about to start. RJ will be wondering where I am."

With that, he went to a side room to get changed into his uniform. Gabby watched him go, smiling.

"Hey Tommy, do you remember our wedding?" Kira asked him.

"How could I forget?" He groaned. "We did both spend the night in hospital the night before."

"You both spent the night in hospital?" Gabby asked. "What happened?"

"I had my drink spiked." Kira informed her. "As for Tommy..."

"I made the rather monumental mistake of letting Jason be my Best Man." Tommy told her. "I was lucky to make it down the aisle."

"Now you're seriously making me reconsider my bachelorette party." Gabby responded.

"It's at your parents' house, how much trouble can you really get into?" Kira asked her. "Trust me, you'll love it."

"Of course you will." Lily added as she arrived, carrying David. "It'll be an amazing day. You'll never forget it."

"I am kind of looking forward to it." Gabby admitted dreamily. "So when's Master Finn coming back?"

"He'll be getting back into port before dinner time tonight." Lily told her. "He called RJ on his cell last night. He's already threatening us with the slide show of his holiday snaps."

"Oh come on, I'm sure you bored him with your own honeymoon snaps when you got back." Kira teased her. "It's part of the fun of the whole wedding thing."

"Well I'm not even sure where we're going." Gabby said with a shrug. "Dad's holding the ceremony and the reception in his back yard, and he's paying for the catering and everything, so Dom insisted he'll deal with the honeymoon."

"It's sweet that he wants to do that." Kira cooed. "It's romantic."

"Honey, you think almost everything's romantic." Tommy reminded her.

"Dom can be really proud." Gabby interjected. "He doesn't want a free ticket; he insisted he'd deal with that."

"He's a great guy." Lily agreed. "If I hadn't gotten together with RJ, who knows..."

"Hey, he's mine!" Gabby interrupted the former Yellow Ranger. "He's all mine."

"Yeah, he is." Lily agreed, putting an arm around her and holding the younger girl softly. "I don't think anyone could change that."

In the High School, Johnny was just putting some books away when Liv came up behind him, catching him off-guard. He swore loudly as he snapped up, smacking his head on the roof of his locker.

"You really have to stop doing that." Johnny told her. "I'm going to end up with brain damage."

"Sorry, I just can't resist." She told him. "You're so cute when I scare you like that."

"So are we going to the canteen?" He asked her. She moved a little closer, wrapping her arms around him.

"Actually, I was thinking we might go to that Chinese place a couple of blocks from here." She told him. "I suddenly have a pretty mad craving for egg rolls."

"You know only seniors are allowed off campus at lunch time." Johnny reminded her.

"Please, it's exam time." Liv reminded him. "You know the teachers won't notice a couple of freshmen skipping out for lunch."

"You know, some people used to think I was the bad influence." He commented with a little grin. "You are seriously leading me astray."

"Do you mind?" Liv asked him.

"Not in the slightest." Johnny replied as they made their way to the door. He had a quick glance around to ensure that no one saw them leaving, before making their way out.

Meanwhile, Donny was in his office, doing some marking when he happened to glance out the window and see them leaving. He just smirked to himself and shook his head.

"Kids are so predictable." He muttered. Just then, he heard a horn blaring and a screech of tyres.

Liv was busy messing with Johnny, slapping him upside the head before running off. Johnny started to chase after her.

"Oh, you are so going to get it!" He laughed as he chased her. Liv giggled, looking back over her shoulder as she ran, meaning that she didn't notice some trash on the sidewalk. She slipped on it, falling into the street as a car rounded the corner. She looked up in alarm, seeing it slam on the brakes and swerving.

"Liv!" Johnny roared, casting his hands forward. His bull spirit rushed out of him, slamming into the side of the car, shoving it off course, meaning it missed Liv and hit a parked car. Johnny ran into the street, helping her up.

"Hey, are you alright man?" Johnny asked the driver as he got out of the car, stroking his head.

"Um...yeah, I just hit my head." He replied. "I'm sorry; she just came out of nowhere."

"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Liv admitted. "Are you alright?"

"I guess so." He replied, beginning to inspect his car for damage. "It doesn't look like a write off; I guess the insurance will cover it."

As they walked away, Liv pulled Johnny in closer to her.

"Johnny, you used your bull spirit." She whispered. "Do you think he noticed?"

"I think it's the kind of thing he'd have mentioned if he did." Johnny replied. "I think we've gotten away with it."

Little did Johnny and Liv realise that Donny had been looking out of the window when Johnny sent forth his bull spirit. He couldn't believe what he had seen. In fact...he had no idea what he had seen. Liv had fallen into the street, and a car was about to hit her, but that was where things stopped making sense. In a bright flash, the car had suddenly changed direction, like it was hit by an incredible force.

"It was a bull." He gasped to himself. "It came from Johnny!"


	24. Donny's Research

Donny was sitting in a study room of Ocean Bluff library long after dark, sitting with a table full of research material. Dozens of folders full of periodicals, large, heavy reference books detailing various subjects from magic and mythology, through religion and martial arts were stacked all around the computer on the desk, as were many DVD's and CD ROM drives, which he was currently running through the computer.

The desk gave an ominous creak under the weight of his research material, but he didn't notice. As he took another sip from his smoothie, washing down another mouthful of burger, he continued to view the current disk, news footage from one of the Ranger's battles against Dai Shi's forces. Ever since he had seen...well...he still wasn't entirely sure what he had seen when Johnny had used his Bull Spirit to divert the car away and stop it hitting Liv, he couldn't think about anything else.

He wasn't really much of a believer in the supernatural. Sure, he had been to a psychic once, and he had taken part in the occasional use of an Ouija board back in college, but that was all largely for fun. Generally speaking he was pretty agnostic; believing firmly in what science had proven in laboratory conditions. It was something of a consequence of his focus in his studies to become an educator. He looked up as he heard the librarian knocking the door, coming into the room.

"Donny, I really would like to go home at some point." She told him. "You're seriously pushing the limits of my good nature here. I closed half an hour ago."

It was only as he looked around that he realised the sun had gone down. He had gone out to a burger joint for take-out so he could keep working on his project, but the sun had still been up when he had last checked. Being the headmaster of a High School, he had a certain understanding with the library. It wasn't the first time he had been in the library after closing time, but usually it was only for a couple of hours to do some photocopying or to source reference material for his staff members. This was the first time he had used this privilege for his own purposes though.

"I'm sorry Kathy; I really didn't know how long I had been here." He replied. It was only then he realised his burger was stone cold. He tossed it into the wrapper in disgust. "Listen, if it's not too much trouble, I kind of need to finish this..."

"Donny, I need to go home!" She complained. "I've already missed Glee!"

"Lucy lent me her key." Donny told her, pulling it out of his pocket. His receptionist, Lucy, was a volunteer at the library. She only worked there a few hours a week, but she had a key in case she was required to open, or to lock up at the end of the day. "I'll clean up in here and I'll lock up before I go."

Kathy just groaned and shook her head as he said this. She stroked the bridge of her nose gently.

"Alright, just...put everything back before you leave." She told him. "You know where everything goes right?"

"Trust me, I know the Dewey Decimal System intimately." He assured her. "I'll clean up."

"Just make sure you do." She sighed. "I'll see you another time."

"Thanks Kathy." He replied as she left, before turning back to his work. So far, he had come up against a lot of possible explanations. He had long since abandoned trying to come up with a scientific explanation. If it was a gas explosion, there'd be a lot more damage in the street, and more importantly, if it began where Johnny was standing, he'd have been cremated.

He didn't have any footage of the actual event. They were only just beyond where the schools cameras extended, so he had to rely on what he had seen. It was green energy, and it seemed to build up within Johnny and then rush out, slamming into the car. Thinking about it long and hard, he was sure it formed into some kind of horned animal, perhaps a bison or bull and so his first port of call had been to type "glowing energy animals". It had branched off into dozens of side searches that had gone through animals, spirit animals, energy usage...

Eventually, he had centred in on spirit animals. It appeared to be the closest to it, any reference he found on that seemed the closest to what he saw. He had read up on shamanic rites which purportedly called forth spirits in the forms of animals, and indeed any of the illustrations depicted them as glowing spiritual creatures, but that was where the similarity ended. Most of these rites were for religious purposes. They represented aspects that people wanted to summon, owls for wisdom, eagles for hunting instinct, bison for strength...but they all ended with the spirits merely being communed with, or being absorbed into the person to gain that aspect. There was no mention of using a spirit to actually attack.

That was when he had added the word "attack" to the search parameter. It had come up with a few references to animal spirits in various martial arts, but when he read them, he found that they were mostly metaphorical. Tiger style Kung Fu for instance talked about its practitioners attacking with the spirit of a tiger, though there was no reference to energy attacks. It merely referred to the emphasis on clawing attacks and strong direct assault. It had been just when he had been about to give up that he saw something in this search that caught his attention. It referred to Ocean Bluff.

He opened the page, and was surprised to find it dedicated to the Power Rangers. He had been curious enough about it to check out a video link, and saw the Red Ranger casting forth his Tiger Spirit.

He had been watching through dozens of DVD's shot from news cameras of their battles. He had yet to see a bull or bison video. He had found all of the others though. The tiger, cheetah, jaguar, wolf, bat, shark, elephant, chameleon, lion and even, on one occasion when Lothor had come to town, a hummingbird. He had considered just giving up on this line, but it was so far the closest to what he had seen.

As he heard the distinctive slurp when he reached the bottom of his smoothie, he threw it into the corner, into the waste paper basket.

"What are you thinking Donny? Johnny couldn't have been a Ranger." He muttered to himself. "He's just about to turn sixteen. No one would make a fourteen year old a Ranger. Heck, he wasn't even IN Ocean Bluff back then."

He pulled the liner out of the trash can and started to put the rest of his dinner into it.

"Why do I need to know this? Why can't I just accept the fact Liv's safe?" He asked himself. "Maybe a little something to do with the fact an eight foot tall green bull saved her!"

He started to put his materials back in order while the footage continued to roll.

"Face it Donny, whatever happened, you're not going to find the answers..." His words tailed off as he saw something that caught his attention. He stopped the footage and wound it back a little. It was footage of one of the Orange Ranger's battles. He watched it through a few times, before pausing it. "I've seen someone fight like that."

He took a printout of the still showing the Orange Ranger, and held it, staring at it. He had started this search in the hopes of satisfying his curiosity as to what had happened with Johnny, but it looked like he had stumbled onto a bigger mystery. Was it possible Johnny was somehow connected to the Power Rangers?

The next day, Liv was sitting having breakfast when RJ came back from his run.

"Hey there kiddo, ready for school?" He asked her, coming over and putting his arm around her. Liv shrugged his arm off.

"Dad, you stink." She responded. "You have just been for a five mile run."

"Sorry about that." He commented. "So how are you after your accident?"

Liv hadn't intended to tell RJ about her accident the day before. She had been messing around with Johnny when she fell into the road. It was entirely her fault that she had ended up in danger, forcing Johnny to use his animal spirit to save her. If she hadn't messed up her clothes when she fell, she'd probably not have told them to avoid the two hour lecture she'd ended up getting reminding her of road safety.

"I'm fine. I feel more silly than anything else." She admitted. "How's Kira?"

"She and Tommy are at Flit's place getting her hand checked out." He informed her. "Anyway, when you see Johnny today, tell him I have a little surprise for him."

"You do remember he saved me right?" Liv asked a little nervously. RJ was protective of his family, and she could imagine him having something in store for Johnny for messing around with her on the road.

"Don't worry, it isn't a punishment, it's a reward." Johnny assured her. "Tell him...his shift tonight is going to be interesting."

"Alright, I'll tell him." Liv assured him as she gathered up her bag. "I guess I should be going."

"Remember to look both ways." He warned her. Liv just rolled her eyes.

"I will dad." She muttered. "I'll see you later."

Donny arrived at the school, pulling his car into his parking space while his thoughts still coursed through his head. He still couldn't believe that one of his students actually had supernatural powers. More than that, if he wasn't mistaken, it appeared that he had shown abilities similar to the last active team of Power Rangers. He had no idea how he was going to face Johnny or Liv again. How could he try and pretend he hadn't seen what he had? He felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped with a start.

"Restless night?" Fran asked him with a little chuckle.

"Something like that." Donny commented, turning to face her. "What can I help you with?"

"I've been preparing the freshman class to start studying Macbeth when they come back after the summer." She told him. "I know that there are only a couple of weeks left, so there's no point teaching them anything, they'd only just forget it over summer. I just thought it would be good to let them see it performed, so I'm showing them the Mel Gibson movie."

"Yeah, I remember seeing that, it was surprisingly good." He agreed.

"Well the thing is Mr. Dobson already has the TV and DVD player booked for today, so I had to bring mine from home." She informed him. "I was hoping you could give me a hand getting it into the class."

The school was pretty tight on the budget at the moment. The football team had just fallen short of the championship, and there weren't many other areas that it excelled in which would secure a greater share of the education board's budget. At present, there was only one TV and DVD player to go around. It was a testament to how much Fran loved her job that she was willing to risk bringing her own to school when there wasn't another available.

"I'd be happy to." He assured her, taking off his jacket. Fran smiled as she took him over to her car, opening the trunk.

"So what's got you so strung out?" Fran asked him.

"I just have something on my mind." He told her as he picked up the television. Fran pulled off her jacket, throwing it into the trunk, before gathering the DVD player and the DVD. "I didn't get home until late last night. Even then I didn't really sleep well."

"It kind of sucks when that happens." Fran agreed. "I'm looking forward to the weekend."

"The big wedding." Donny said with a little smile. "I heard all about it. I got an invitation."

"You're going?" Fran asked with an excited little smile. "I didn't know Gabby invited you!"

"Strictly speaking I'm a plus one." He corrected her. "Gabby knew Lucy from when she was a student. She invited her, and Lucy kind of invited me."

"Your receptionist invited you to a wedding?" Fran asked him with a childish little look in her eyes. "Is there something going on there?"

"Well, I've kind of been getting a vibe from her since I got here." Donny admitted. "I was a little surprised when she asked me to be honest."

"You said yes though." Fran reminded him. Donny just shrugged.

"I guess I have been meaning to get out a bit more. It's not like I have anything to lose." He told her as they got to her classroom. He put the TV on a desk and pulled it to the front of the class, positioning it for the kids to see. "It has been a while since I've dated. Maybe I should give it a chance. It's not like a couple of dates could hurt."

"I guess not." Fran replied as she put the DVD player on top of the TV. "Lucy's really nice. Thanks for the help by the way."

"No problem Fran..." He paused for a second as he noticed the Master's tattoo on her arm. "Umm...I didn't know you had a tattoo."

Fran realised she had taken off her jacket to prevent it getting messed up when she carried the DVD player through. She looked to the tattoo, and then back to Donny.

"Yeah, I got it while I was at college." She told him. This was at least partly true; she had indeed taken and passed her master's trial while she was at college. "It's a symbol of courage and strength. I really liked the pattern."

"Yeah, I like it." Donny stated as he thought about something. "Excuse me; I just have to deal with something."

Fran just shrugged as he left the room, before heading back to her car to collect her jacket before first period.

Meanwhile, Donny went back to his office and closed the door behind him. He sat at his desk and thought about something. He was sure he had seen the pattern of Fran's tattoo before, he just couldn't remember where. It was then that a thought occurred to him.

"No, surely not." He muttered to himself, pulling out the picture of the Orange Ranger he had printed out. He unfolded it, spreading it out on the desk, and inspected it closely. He realised that the same pattern was on the chest of the Ranger suit.

"Don't be stupid Donny, the Rangers were superheroes, of course there was merchandise." He told himself. "It makes sense the tattoo parlours would make..."

It was just then that he remembered what had caused him to print that picture in the first place. Something about the way the Orange Ranger fought had seemed familiar. He suddenly realised why. Fran had stepped in to save him when he had been jumped by a few of the students back when he first arrived. He couldn't believe it back then, she was so different from the nervous, jittery girl he had known back in school who did everything she could to avoid even being noticed, never mind confrontation. He had even joked that she must have gotten lessons from Jet Li.

He was about to dismiss the idea, but it was then that something else stuck in his mind. He had viewed all of the Ranger's battles, including the battle against Lothor. The Pink Ranger was there in her one and only outing as a Ranger. The Orange Ranger was noticeably absent from the battle. Donny had met her family, and had even held Algie. The time fitted the absence of the Orange Ranger. Fran would have been pregnant with her son.

He folded up the paper carefully and put it away in his pocket, looking to the door.

"I don't believe it." He murmured as he considered his thoughts. "Fran's a Power Ranger?"


	25. Johnny's Surprise

Liv and Johnny arrived outside JKP after school, and Johnny paused for a second, taking a deep breath. Liv comforted him, understanding why he was nervous.

"RJ doesn't blame you." She assured him. "He's just happy I'm safe."

"He said he had a surprise for me." Johnny reminded me. "The last time he had a surprise for me I was unconscious for almost a full day after finding my bull spirit."

"Well it could be a good surprise." She commented, wrapping her arms around his waist. "The last time he gave you a surprise we got together remember?"

"How could I forget?" He asked her, leaning down and kissing her softly. They both stepped into the restaurant, where Johnny found RJ and looked at him in confusion. He was wearing the green T-shirt and zebra print trousers he made all his employees wear.

"What's the deal RJ?" He asked him.

"This is your surprise." He commented. Johnny and Liv just looked at each other completely confused.

"Seriously are your whites getting cleaned or something?" Johnny asked him. "I've never seen you in a uniform."

"Neither have I." Liv chipped in.

"My whites are washed, pressed and hanging neatly in the closet as usual." RJ told them. "Johnny, I'm not especially happy you used your bull spirit in public after I specifically told you not to..."

"RJ..."

"But!" He cut him off, continuing with his speech. "If you hadn't done it, my daughter could have been very seriously hurt, or worse. I owe you a debt, and I hope this goes some way towards paying that."

"I still don't understand." Johnny told him. RJ just smiled.

"You've been doing a great job any of the times I've had you on shift helping in the kitchen." He conceded. "Now, this is the biggest test of your skills. Tonight, I'm the waiter and the kitchen is yours."

Johnny let Liv go and rushed over to him.

"RJ, the big game's on today." He reminded him. "We're going to be swamped! There's no way I'm ready for this!"

"If I didn't have faith in you, do you really think I'd trust you with the good name of the business I built from the ground up?" He asked him, smacking his shoulder. "It's your night to shine Johnny, show me what you've got."

With that, he left the room before Johnny could protest. He just turned and looked to his girlfriend in panic.

"Right about now I'm almost wishing he had just given me a bollocking for using my bull spirit." He told her. "Liv, I'm not ready to be a head chef!"

"It's like dad said, he wouldn't have asked you if he didn't think you could do it." She reassured him, understanding his nerves. "He's still on shift, I'm sure he'll help if you get into trouble."

"But Liv..."

"Just go and get changed." She told him, giving him a little grin. "I'm sure you'll be great."

Meanwhile, Donny was still reeling from his suspicion that he had stumbled on the identity of at least one of the Rangers. He still couldn't shake the idea that Fran had been a Power Ranger.

He looked up as he heard a knock on the door. Fran was standing there.

"Donny, could you give me a hand?" She asked him. "I need to get my stuff back into the car."

"Yeah sure." He assured her, getting up from his desk. There was plenty of other things he could have been doing, but the question of whether or not he had just solved the greatest riddle in the history of Ocean Bluff was playing on his mind. He went with her to the classroom. "Fran, you do Kung Fu right?"

"Yeah, I learned from Theo." She told him as they started to disconnect the TV and DVD player. "Why?"

"Most of your friends do too don't they?" He asked her.

"Yeah, we all do." She told him. "Why do you ask? Are you thinking of taking lessons or something?"

"I was just curious." He told her. "So when I come to the wedding...are you all going to be there?"

"Of course!" She giggled as she picked up the DVD player and the DVD. "Do you really think we'd miss that? Gabby's the baby of the group! Of course we want to see her get married!"

"Right, of course." He responded as he picked up the TV. "I guess it was a dumb question."

"So are you going to the bachelor party tomorrow?" She asked him. "I'm sure the guys would let you tag along."

"I don't know, I really don't know many of your friends." He commented.

"You know Theo and Casey; they were there when I had you round for dinner." She reminded him. "Go on, I'm sure they'd love to see you there."

"You know, I think I might just tag along." He told her, smiling a little. "I'm sure it'll be a blast."

Over in JKP, Johnny was just finishing the prep work in the kitchen when the first of the evening customers arrived. RJ came in, pinning the first check up.

"Three Minestrone soup, one meatball marinara, one thrilla gorilla pizza and one carbonara." RJ told him. Johnny turned to the pot where the soup was holding warm, beginning to spoon out some into bowls.

"Liv, I..."

"Liv, stay out on the floor." RJ instructed his daughter before Johnny could ask. "This is your night Johnny. Make the most of it."

Johnny just nodded and went back to the task in hand. Liv followed RJ out into the restaurant, rushing to his side and prodded him in the ribs.

"RJ, if you're mad at Johnny just tell him." She told him. He just smiled.

"Liv, this isn't a punishment, it's an opportunity." He assured her. Just then, she saw someone come in and gasped.

"RJ, that's..."

"Yes, that's Jules Marx, the food critic for Ocean Bluff Review." He interrupted her. "I saw his name on the book earlier."

"Dad, this is serious! If you get a bad review..."

"I won't. I have every faith in Johnny." He assured her. "Maybe you should too."

Liv just shook her head and went to meet and greet the critic as RJ smiled to himself.

"Well Johnny, this is your chance." He commented. "Don't let me down."

In another part of town, Gabby was busy with her mother planning the ceremony that was now only two days away. Kira and Lily came in as they were guiding the men building the marquee for the occasion.

"This all looks great!" Kira complimented them. "Gabby, the wedding's going to be amazing!"

"I really hope so." She replied. "I really want it all to be perfect."

"As long as Dom's there I'm sure it will be." Lily assured her. "I can't believe it's only two days to go!"

"I can't either. I can't wait!" She assured them. "I can't believe the day's almost here. It always seemed so far away!"

"Something tells me Dom feels the same way." Kira assured her. "So do you know what he has planned for the honeymoon yet?"

"I have no idea." Gabby told them. "He's kept me in the dark about that since I agreed to let him handle it."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll love it." Lily told her. "Knowing Dom, it's going to be great."

"So what do you have planned for tomorrow?" Kira asked her. "I mean, you are only going to get one bachelorette party."

"I think you'll all love it." She replied with a smirk.

Back at the restaurant, the night was wearing on, and Johnny was quickly finding himself under pressure. The checks kept coming, and he was rushing around like a maniac to keep up. Liv came into the kitchen.

"Table five's seafood special!" He told her, gesturing to the dish that had been sitting the longest. She just took it and left without another word. As she got into the main room, she found RJ chatting with some customers.

"RJ, I think Johnny could use a hand." She suggested. He just turned back to her and shook his head.

"He's fine." He told her.

"RJ, he's rushed off his feet! He's running around like a maniac!" She pleaded with him. "Please..."

"Trust me will you? He's fine." He assured her. "Anyway, table five is still waiting."

Liv just growled under her breath and stormed over to give the customer his pizza while RJ turned his attention back to the register. He looked up as a customer came to pay.

At the end of the night, Johnny came into the restaurant and slumped down onto the counter, wrapping his hands around his head and sighed.

"Remind me never to ask for more responsibility ever again." He groaned. "That was a disaster."

Liv came over to comfort her boyfriend as RJ finished clearing the last table, whistling cheerfully. She gave her adoptive father a hard glare.

"Dad, Johnny..."

"Johnny performed admirably." He interrupted her, touching his shoulder softly. "You did well."

"Please, it was a disaster!" He groaned. RJ just smiled.

"You know, Jules Marx was in tonight." RJ told him. Johnny's eyes grew wide in fear. He knew exactly who he was. He had read the papers too.

"RJ, you shouldn't have..."

"He said it was the best meal he had eaten in ages." RJ interrupted him. "He said he's giving JKP a five star rating."

"But..."

"The first time I had to run a kitchen single handed I had three tables walk out." He told him. "You didn't have one. That isn't just impressive, it's miraculous!"

"You think I did well?" Johnny asked him. RJ just smiled and nodded.

"You did an amazing job." He told him. "I'm proud of you."

With that, he turned and headed upstairs to spend some time with Lily and David, Liv just hugged him.

"I thought he was being hard on you." She commented. "I can't believe he had so much faith in you."

"I can't either." Johnny replied with a grin. "I think that's the first time someone's ever said they were proud of me."

"Well you can add me to that list." Liv told him, pulling him down to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied, before looking around at the restaurant. "trust RJ to leave us to clean up."

"You just make us something to eat. I'm starving." She told him. "Leave the cleaning to me."

As Johnny left to cook and Liv started wiping down the first table, she couldn't help smiling. Johnny had often talked about the possibility of opening his own restaurant one day, and RJ had given him a taste of what that would be like. As much as he had struggled, he had succeeded in dealing with the task. She had her doubts about his motives before, but now she was sure RJ had done Johnny a favour. He had shown him he had faith in his abilities.


	26. Gabbys Wedding

Gabby was in the back yard of her father's house, observing the activity as men erected the marquee for the wedding when someone came up behind her and placed a pair of hand over her eyes.

"Dom, you only have to wait another day." She told him. "After that..."

"I'm not Dom." A familiar, accented voice told her. Gabby pulled off his hands and shrieked as she turned to see Mark, the guy she had become friends with back when she was being stalked by Karl.

"Mark, I can't believe you came!" She screamed as she hugged him. "I can't believe you came! How's Stephen?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Mark asked as Stephen stepped into view. "We managed to clear our schedule, so we could be in town for the wedding."

"We wouldn't miss it." Stephen assured her. "So how are you anyway?"

"The leg took a while, but I'm getting used to having it back." She assured him. "I can't believe you guys came!"

"Please, you were our flatmate for months; of course we wanted to come!" Stephen assured her. "So, do you know what Dom has planned for the honeymoon yet?"

"He's not giving anything away." She sighed. "So where are you staying?"

"We haven't gotten anywhere yet." Mark told her, gesturing to his bag. "We figured we'd check into a travel inn or something..."

"Don't you DARE!" She warned him as her father came into view. "Dad, Mark and Stephen haven't sorted out somewhere to stay."

"Well we have plenty of room here." He commented. "Feel free to stay with us."

"We couldn't..."

"Stephen, you're really going to offend me if you refuse." Gabby warned him. "You put me up for a few months. I guess it would be rude not to put you up for a few days."

"Gabby, you are the best!" Mark replied, hugging her tightly. "I can see why Dom's nuts about you."

"Anyway, the bachelor party should be arriving in a few hours." She told them as she picked up Mark's bag. "That'll give us plenty of time to catch up."

In another part of town, Dom had finished his workout when Jarrod approached him, smiling.

"So are you ready to begin?" He asked. "You will only get one bachelor party."

"Jarrod, it's just a party." Dom groaned.

"Humour me will you? My big brother's getting married!" He reminded him. "Also, don't forget that when I got married the party was kind of curtailed by the fact I was going through Chemotherapy."

It was a bit of a cheap shot, but Jarrod was right. When he had gotten married to Susan, he had been going through chemo for his leukaemia. It was understandable that this time around he wanted to tear it up a little.

"Alright, when are the guys getting here?" Dom groaned, realising he was never going to win this argument. Jarrod just smiled.

"About an hour ago." He told him as they went into the living quarters. RJ set off a party popper as Dom arrived.

"So what chance do I have of having a quiet night?" Dom asked them.

"None at all." Casey assured him. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride my friend."

Elsewhere, Lily was just putting David down for a nap when the rest of the girls arrived in anticipation of the bachelorette party. Gabby, Mark and Stephen were already in the apartment, preparing food.

"OK, there is no WAY we need this much dip." Stephen commented, kissing Mark's cheek softly. "I'd say we're good."

"Yeah, we seem pretty good." Gabby told them. "I can't believe your ceremony was cancelled."

"Under state law we both have to be 21." Stephen said with a shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time I've had to deal with shit like that."

"He went to a friend's funeral." Mark told her. "It was being picketed by a church group."

"Because he was gay?" Gabby asked him. "That's awful! I can't imagine..."

"It was one of the few times I felt violent. I actually went out with every intention of kicking the shit out of them." Stephen told her. "Mark stopped me. He told me that I would be an s bad as them."

"Jerry's family had every right to mourn in peace. They had no right to ruin that!" Mark commented. "I wanted to beat down on those assholes too, but I knew it was pointless. If they're like that, then a good ass kicking isn't likely to change their minds."

"Anyway, can we get onto more pleasant topics?" Gabby's mother, Deborah asked as she arrived, cupping Gabby's cheek with her hand. "How many times am I going to see my daughter walk down the aisle?"

"I'm sorry; we were getting a little heavy." Stephen assured her as he grabbed a bottle of wine. "ON to the party!"

Elsewhere, Dom was sitting on the beach with the guys, casually slugging a bottle of beer while Casey sang, although a more accurate description would be painfully murdered Journey's "Don't stop believin'" on a karaoke machine. Jarrod pulled into him.

"It's not long now bro." He commented. "So are you nervous yet?"

"No." He replied honestly, a little smile creeping onto his lips. "I've done a lot of stuff I wasn't sure about, but this is the first time I've known 100 percent I was doing the right thing."

"She means that much to you right?" Jarrod asked him. "So have you talked about kids?"

"We have." He confirmed. "We wanted to wait a little while, let her get the business up and on its feet."

"You know that planning on those counts rarely works right?" Jarrod asked him cheekily. "Michaela wasn't exactly planned."

"We're not like you." Dom told him. "I would like a kid at some point though."

"You've already thought about this haven't you?" Jarrod asked him. Dom just nodded.

"I think it would be kind of cool to have a son." He confessed. "You know, a little guy to play catch with."

"You'd be a great dad Dom." Jarrod assured him as Casey finished his hatchet job on the song. "Anyway, it's your turn."

Dom got up and made his way to the karaoke machine, picking up the microphone. He smiled as he looked out on his friends.

"Put on Bad Romance." He told RJ. "I feel like going GaGa!"

Over in her parent's place, Gabby was sitting with her face in her hands as Stephen relayed some embarrassing stories from her time in Blue Bay with them. The room was filled with laughter at her expense as he finished.

"Alright, this is Gabby's night." Kira reminded them. "I know a little humiliation is traditional, but she should have some fun too."

"Oh come on, we're just having a little fun." Tori reminded her. "We'll make sure she gets to the altar in one piece."

"Why does that not exactly fill me with confidence?" Gabby chuckled.

"Maybe because you've seen enough Ranger weddings to know they never go smoothly." Lily suggested. "I mean, with mine the little guy was already on his way."

"I got plastered on the flight home from the honeymoon." Fran chipped in.

"I spent the night before the wedding in the hospital." Kira added. They all looked to Tori.

"I was nearly arrested." She told them. "Don't ask, it's a long story."

The following morning, Dom woke up in JKP to a hive of activity. The girls were all at Gabby's place, preparing there, leaving the apartment to the guys. Dom was just figuring out how to fasten his bow tie when Jarrod came in.

"So you're nearly ready to go?" He asked.

"I guess so." Dom replied with a smile. "I can't believe we got here. It seems like only yesterday we got together."

"You're made for each other." Jarrod assured him. "I couldn't imagine anyone more suited to each other."

"Master Phant has been really supportive." Dom confirmed. "Her parents are pretty cool too."

"What's more important is she is nuts about you." Jarrod reminded him.

"I guess it's traditional for me to get nervous around now." Dom commented. "Do you have the rings?"

"That's the first." Jarrod laughed, showing him the rings. "I have ten to one odds you'll make it to 500 before she gets to the altar."

Donny arrived in the garden of Gabby's parents' place, accepting a glass of champagne from one of the serving staff before the ceremony. He took a sip as Casey approached him.

"Hey, it's been a while." He commented. "How are things at the school?"

Donny just shrugged in response.

"Well I'm really looking forward to this." He commented, taking another sip. Donny caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his forearm.

"You have a tattoo." He whispered. Casey just rolled up his sleeve, showing it to him.

"Yeah, I got that a couple of years ago." He replied.

"Fran has one like it." Donny commented. "It's something to do with the Power Rangers isn't it?"

Casey paused, uncertain as to what exactly Donny knew about the Jungle Fury team.

"Yeah, there was a ton of merchandise back then." He quipped with a little forced laugh, hoping to lead Donny off the trail. "Hell, Holly's room is full of Ranger beanie babies!"

Donny just smiled and nodded in response. He made his way through the crowd, taking careful note of all the guests. Many of them, all the ones that were Ocean Bluff natives at least, all appeared to have the same tattoo, a claw mark on the inner forearm of the right arm.

Just then, the wedding march played, bringing all the guests into the marquee. Dom and Jarrod were already waiting at the altar.

"So are you ready bro?" Jarrod asked him.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life." He commented as the song got louder. He turned around, watching as Gabby's father led her down the aisle. She was wearing an off-shoulder white dress. Her smile was infectious, forcing him to smile back. Her hair was weaved intricately with white carnations. As her father got her to the altar, he released her.

"You look amazing." Dom whispered.

"You look pretty good too." She replied.

As Lily began reading the ceremony, Donny watched on from his seat a few rows back and noticed something. Gabby had the same tattoo. Was it possible he had stumbled into the world of the Rangers? Was it possible he had uncovered the biggest secret in Ocean Bluff? He watched as Dom slid the ring onto her finger.

"I pledge my heart, my soul and my spirit to you forever." He told her. Lily smiled at the conclusion of the ceremony.

"You may now kiss the bride." She instructed him. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to introduce for the first time Dominic and Gabrielle Hargan!"

Donny applauded with the crowd as he got up from his seat. He had seen so much at the wedding, he had completely forgotten about his date. He approached Fran slowly as they all applauded the first kiss Dom and Gabby shared as a married couple.

"Donny, wasn't that an amazing ceremony?" She asked him.

"Yeah, amazing." He replied. "Fran, can I ask you about that tattoo?"

"Yeah, like I said I got it back in college..."

"Was that before or after you became a Power Ranger?" He asked her. Fran felt her heart skipping several beats as he said this.

"Me a Power Ranger?" She laughed nervously before tapping his glass. "How many of those have you had?"

"When you saved me from those punks you fought the same way the Orange Ranger did." He told her. "The Orange Ranger was absent for the battle with Lothor...right around the time you were pregnant with Algie."

"Donny I..."

"Don't lie to me Fran, I know I'm right." He told her. "The others, Casey, Theo, Lily...they're the Rangers aren't they?"

"Donny..."

"Don't lie to me!" He interrupted her. "So let's hear it. I'm right aren't I Fran? Or should I say Fox Ranger?"


	27. A Secret and a Sendoff

Fran looked to Donny a little hesitantly under his gaze. It wasn't the first time anyone had found out about the Rangers, but it was certainly the first time anyone had figured it out on their own and confronted one of them directly about the fact. She had no idea how he could know, but he was so adamant about it, and she had spent so long staring at him in silence, she knew there was no way she could convince him he was wrong now. Lying to him now would only be insulting his intelligence.

"Well?" He asked a little more directly as a small, satisfied smile started to cross his lips.

"Donny, this is Gabby's wedding..."

"I'm right though aren't I?" He asked her. "You're the Power Rangers!"

"Donny, keep your voice down." She reprimanded him in a little whisper, pulling closer. Fran heard a small commotion outside and looked out the window. "Look, Gabby and Dom are about to head out. I promise I'll talk to you about this once they go."

"I'll hold you to that." He told her as she turned and left. He felt his heart beating faster as he watched her go, and a large smile split his face. He had been searching for an explanation how one of his students had managed to smash a car aside with a gesture, saving his girlfriend from serious injury. His curiosity and his research had ended up leading him to the greatest secret in Ocean Bluff's history. He'd had his doubts, at times he had even doubted his sanity at points but the more he noticed, the more the pieces all seemed to fit.

Fran went out onto the lawn, still racking her brains over what exactly she could do about this situation. She knew that Casey, RJ and Lily had both approached the problem of people outside the Order finding out about it. In both those instances though, it wasn't like they had a choice in the matter. Lily's dad had seen her morph when he had risked his life to save her from Dai Shi. Casey had to tell his sisters when Jarrod had saved Susan from a corrupt police officer who tried to kill her, and RJ had been forced to use his morpher to help Liv and Johnny when she herself was trapped in JKP alone with them and went into labour.

The other factor was that in each of those cases, the person that discovered their secret had some tie to the group that would prevent them from divulging their secret. Casey had told his mom and his sisters. Lily had explained things to her dad, and by the time Liv found out, she had been living with RJ and Lily for so long, she was practically their daughter. Donny, while he was a friend, had no such powerful tie to them. Fran was painfully aware how tempting it might be to be the one to lift the lid on the identity of the Rangers. If nothing else, the tabloids would pay a fortune for that information.

She came to Theo's side and put an arm around his waist, he responded by putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I was wondering where you were." He told her with a smile. "You nearly missed the send-off."

Fran didn't answer though; she didn't want to take the moment from Gabby and Dom. As they came together by the front gate, where a taxi was waiting, one of the serving staff her dad had hired for the day finished packing their cases into the trunk.

"Alright guys, I just really want to thank all of you for coming." Dom told them with a huge grin. "I spent a whole lot of time travelling, and a whole lot of time moving on, never really setting down any roots, but that all changed when I came here to Ocean Bluff."

Donny thought long and hard about this as he heard Dom say it. He didn't really know Dom that well; he had only met him in passing through Fran. He didn't know about Dom's travels around the globe, and it seemed odd to hear how similar Dom's story was to his. He had spent a long time as a trouble-shooter for the education authority, going where he was needed and moving on once the job was done, that he too hadn't set down any real attachments to any one place. He had an e-mail address book full of names and addresses he hadn't written to or heard from in months, sometimes years.

"I came back to some old friends." He told them, pointing to RJ and the Masters. "And I made a lot of new ones."

Donny couldn't help remembering how he felt when he heard he was coming back to Ocean Bluff, back to the High School he had attended to clean it up following the scandal with the previous principal. A few of the faculty had moved on or retired, but he knew a few of the old faces were still there. It was good to see some of the old teachers, but most of all it was good to see Fran again. He had wondered how she had turned out at times, but now he could see how good life had been to her in the end. She had a job she loved, and a family that cared deeply for her. She had grown into an amazing woman in that environment. She had shown him what he had been missing in his life.

"Most importantly, I met the woman of my dreams here." Dom continued, turning to Gabby and looking deeply into her eyes. "I will do all I can to make her as happy as she's made me from now on. I have a home here."

Donny swallowed hard and looked over to his date for the day, Lucy his receptionist. He had gone with her just to find out if he was right about the Rangers. He knew she had asked him to go with him because she had a crush on him. He didn't really know how he felt about her, in honesty he hadn't really given her much thought at all, she had always blended into the background, more a piece of office furniture than a person. He felt a little bad about using her like that, and he was determined to make it up to her at some time. He put his hand into hers, causing her to smile a little. He had also found a home back in Ocean Bluff.

The crowd all applauded and cheered as Dom and Gabby got into the cab and it pulled away. Fran looked to Donny as they drove off, heading for whatever mystery honeymoon Dom had planned for her, and he just nodded in her direction, before gesturing to her to step aside. She went with him into a quiet area of the house as the others returned to the party.

"Donny..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He interrupted her. "I came here with entirely the wrong idea. I came here for no other reason than to find out if I was right, if I had figured something out."

"Donny, please you have to listen..."

"It was Dom's speech that made me realise that it really doesn't matter." He told her. "He was talking about all of you, and what you mean to him, what he's gained since coming here, and I realised that's what's important."

He looked to Fran and smiled at her, holding her hand.

"You're a family. You're the kind of family I really hope to have one day." He continued. "What you and your friends did was amazing, so many people owe you so much, but what's important is the lives you have now."

"You already know what would happen if anyone found out." Fran told him. "At best we'd be celebrities. The press would never leave us alone. We'd never have normal lives."

"At worst, everyone would want a piece of you." He responded. "I can't ruin your lives, I could never do that. This world owes you all so much, and I know I owe you for showing me what my life could be. I guess your privacy isn't so much to ask as repayment. Your secret is safe with me."

Fran just stood on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"You're right." She whispered in his ear. "Thank You."

Donny turned on his heel and left, heading back into the garden to the party to make an appearance with his date and enjoy the rest of the party. Theo came in, carrying Algie and looked a little confused, seeing the way Fran watched him go with a tear in her eye.

"That looked a little intense." He commented. "Did I miss something?"

"I'll tell you about it later." She replied, wiping away a tear and smiling. "Is it Algie's feeding time already?"

"Yeah, he was starting to get a little grisly." Theo told her, handing him over.

Over in Ocean Bluff harbour, the taxi pulled to a halt. Dom led Gabby from the cab carefully, having blindfolded her.

"Are we here yet?" She asked him. "Dom?"

"We're here." He told her, pulling off her blindfold. She looked up, seeing Master Finn's boat tied up before them. She looked to Dom, who was holding their passports.

"Master Finn agreed to lend us his boat for the next week." He told her. "I've got some charts and I planned a really nice route."

"A cruise?" She asked him. She didn't even notice the driver giving the boat a slightly judgemental gaze as he unloaded the bags. It wasn't exactly the grandest of vessels, just a fishing boat that he had built himself. To Gabby though, it was a wonderful idea.

"He gave me some lessons. I reckon I should be able to plot a pretty scenic course." He told her. "It'll be just you, me, and a few islands for the next seven days."

"That sounds perfect." She replied, kissing him deeply. Dom just reached behind himself, handing the driver a fifty, far more than was necessary for the trip. The driver took this as a hint he intended him to load the luggage onto the boat. He muttered something under his breath as he did so. "I love this."

"I'm really glad you do." He told her. "The living space inside is a little Spartan..."

"Some of my happiest memories were camping with my uncle or staying over in his cabin." She told him. "Fancy bedroom suites are over-rated. As long as you're there, it'll be perfect."

As the cab driver finished with the luggage, Dom picked her up, carrying her up the gangplank onto the boat. As the cab driver watched him pull up the gangplank and cast off, he shook his head and got in the cab.

"I'll never understand some newlyweds." He mumbled as he started up the engine. "She lives in that big fancy place and you take her on honeymoon on that heap of crap? What's the world coming to?"

On the ship meanwhile, Dom was steering the ship out of the harbour and into open water. Gabby had gotten changed out of her dress and carefully packed it away, before returning to the deck in jeans and a t-shirt, something a little more appropriate for the purpose.

"You have to be the best-dressed fishing boat captain in history." She giggled as she looked at him. "Do you want to get changed into something a little more comfortable?"

"I need to steer this thing." Dom told her. "If I want to get to the first harbour by nightfall, I need to make some headway." Gabby just gave him a bit of a glare.

"My dad bought a fifty foot yacht for holidays when I was 5. I've been on a ship a few times." She told him. "I think I can handle the rudder here for a few minutes while you get changed."

Dom handed over the wheel, before heading down into the cabin to get changed. He took off his suit, carefully folding it away so that he could eventually claim back the security deposit once he returned it to the rental place. He looked out some casual clothing, quickly pulling it on so that he didn't leave his wife for too long. He still couldn't stop smiling when he thought of that title for her, his wife.

He felt like the luckiest man in the world, knowing that she was now with him for the long haul. At times it seemed like it was all so far away at times, especially with all the time she had to spend setting up Storm Chargers, but now it had finally come to pass. They were husband and wife. As he opened a compartment to put his case away, he found a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses with a note from Master Finn. He had obviously left that there for them to enjoy. He took them up to the deck with him, finding Gabby checking his chart and steering the ship through the lazy waters.

"Your captain has returned." He told her, showing her the bottle. "This is a little gift from Master Finn."

"He might be a hard ass with his students, but he can be really sweet." Gabby said with a smile as she started to pour them a couple of glasses. "I can understand what Casey's mom saw in him."

"Are you starting to have second thoughts?" Dom teased her. "I do know you have a thing for older men."

"Not that much older." She responded, smacking him playfully as she handed him a glass, and let him put an arm around her. She looked off into the horizon. "I couldn't help taking a peek at our route. It should only take another couple of hours to reach our first harbour at this rate."

"Well I was hoping to spend some time with my wife on this trip." He admitted. "I mean, as much fun as sailing is, I was kind of hoping to spend time with you."

"I know things have been a little wild setting up the store, and they'll probably be a bit busy once it opens when we get back." She admitted. "I'm really sorry I haven't spent as much time with you as I'd have liked."

"It's alright, I understand." Dom assured her. "Once the place starts running and you finally get some staff in, it's bound to get easier."

"You really don't mind?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"You're doing something you're passionate about. I want you to be happy." He assured her. "We've got the rest of our lives to spend with each other."

"Well, I'm glad it won't be much longer till we get to harbour." She admitted.

"Why, what did you have in mind?" He asked her, grinning broadly. Gabby just kissed him softly.

"It's our honeymoon." She reminded him with a cheeky smile. "What do you think?"


	28. Johnny's Birthday

Liv approached Johnny as she saw him waiting by his locker at lunchtime. She had a huge grin on her face as she came to him. She grabbed him around the ribcage, digging her fingers in like she always did, causing him to recoil and hit his head on his locker like he always did.

"Liv!" He roared, already knowing who it was. She did that to him all the time. "Would you...?"

"I have something for you." She interrupted him in a little, cute, childish tone. Johnny just smiled.

"Is there some occasion?" He asked her.

"You already know there is birthday boy." She replied, pulling something out of her pocket which was wrapped, in the loosest possible sense of the word, more like 'scrunched into' bundle of paper towel. "Happy birthday!"

Johnny unravelled the bundle of paper towel carefully, finding a little black box within. He opened it carefully, finding a silver watch inside.

"I saved my tips for the last few weeks." She told him.

"Liv...no one's ever bought anything like this." He gasped, immediately strapping it on. "I love it! Thank you!"

He kissed her softly. She parted from him a little way, looking at him.

"So what else did you get?" She asked him. He sighed and shook his head.

"My folks sent fifty bucks in my birthday card." He informed her. "It's not that object to the money, but it doesn't exactly say 'we're thinking of you' does it? My uncle got me a carburettor for the project car I'll be building next year."

"Sorry to ask." Liv commented. She knew it was a little bit of a sore subject for Johnny. It wasn't that his parents didn't care, they had sent him to stay with his uncle because they wanted him to get away from his old life. The fact was that having spent so long away from him, they didn't really know much about him now. They knew he was doing better in school, she presumed they knew he had a girlfriend, but other than that his life after leaving New York would have been a mystery to them. "I'm glad you liked it."

"How could I not?" He asked her, kissing her again. Just then, a kid came down the hallway, carrying magazines. She had guessed this was what he was waiting for. Every week on a Thursday, Ocean Bluff Review was published. A kid ran around flogging it to the students. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but today the review of the night he was cooking in JKP would be in. He flagged the kid over and handed him a couple of bucks before taking the magazine, flicking through it frantically.

"Calm down Johnny, it's in print." She reminded him. "It'll still be there..."

Johnny held up a hand to cut her off as he read the review. It shouldn't have taken that long to read, even with his dyslexia. He read the article over and over, his expression slipping.

"Johnny..."

He stormed away from her angrily, sending a couple of kids flying as he failed to even notice they were in his way. Liv followed him as he went to the door.

"Johnny, what's wrong?" She called out. "We have class!"

"Screw it!" He shouted in return. Liv knew that since there were only days left until the Summer Break that it was unlikely the teachers would be teaching, or even notice he was gone, but she knew something was wrong with him. The way he left, he was clearly livid. She had no idea what he had read, or where he had gone. All she could do was hope he didn't do something stupid.

Over at the new Storm Chargers, Shane was working hard with Master Finn to erect the displays to Gabby's specifications when they heard a small knock on the door. Shane looked up to see a guy standing there. He was very pale, incredibly skinny, verging on the point of anorexia, and had long, greasy hair cascading in all directions from under a thick woollen hat.

"Uhhh...Is this like, where the job is?" He asked them. Shane went over to him, cleaning off his hands.

"I'm afraid the owner isn't here right now." He told him. "She's currently on honeymoon."

"Oh, right...that sucks." He mumbled, before realising Shane had heard him. He backed away, waving his hands defensively. "No dude, that's not what I meant. I mean I was looking for a job."

"Gabby will be looking for a counter assistant and a mechanic." Shane told him. "Are you up for either?"

"Well I'm a bit of a people person, I mean I talk to people all the time and their all like, 'hey man, you're awesome' and I'm all like, 'yeah, I know, wanna hang?'." He told them. "As for the engine thing, I keep my own rig running, and it's older and deader than Keith Moon."

"It sounds like you'd have been good friends with him." Shane said under his breath befo answering. "Come back in a week, the owner will be back by then."

"Righteous." The guy replied as he walked out, almost bumping into a display. Shane shook his head sadly.

"Gabby has no idea what she's letting herself in for." He commented.

"Give him a chance." Master Finn commented. "People can surprise you."

"I'd place odds that guy isn't smart enough to find this place next week, never mind get a job." Shane replied. "Anyway, let's get back to work."

Later that day, after the school day finished that Liv came home, to find RJ stringing up a banner to celebrate Johnny's birthday. Lily was helping set up.

"Hey kiddo, how did Johnny like the present?" Lily asked her daughter. Liv just nodded.

"He said he loved it." She replied. "What's all this?"

"Well he's just turned 16." RJ reminded him. "We just wanted to make a little fuss..."

Just then, Johnny stormed into the restaurant, causing the door to bang and frighten David. Lily rushed to her son as he protested.

"Johnny, we weren't ready for you." RJ told him, reaching behind him for a trophy. It was about four feet in height, with a gold figure of a chef wielding a rolling pin on the top. "Here, happy birthday."

"Thanks." Johnny said sarcastically, snatching it from him. "You've really shown me what I mean to you." With that, he took the trophy in two hands and swung it hard into the counter, shattering it and sending pieces of plastic, wood and metal flying.

"Johnny, what the hell is wrong with you?" Liv shrieked, seeing how terrified her baby brother was by the display. Johnny pulled out the magazine.

"I read Ocean Bluff Review today, have you?" He asked RJ.

"Johnny..."

"I've busted my ass for you all year!" He roared, his temper getting the better of him. "I took this job, I listened to your lessons, I did everything that's been asked of me and more!"

"Johnny, just calm down." RJ told him. "Just tell me what's bothering you..."

"That critic wrote his review." He replied, ramming the magazine into RJ's chest.

"Johnny, the critic loved you." Liv reminded him. "He..."

"He loved RJ!" Johnny snapped. "My name wasn't anywhere on that review."

Liv just paused for a second as Johnny said that. She had no idea what he meant.

"I've done everything you've asked of me and more, and the one time I get an accolade you steal it." Johnny stated as a tear started to leak from the corner of his eye. "Screw your job, and your bloody trophy. I'm out of here."

With that, Johnny stormed out of the restaurant. Liv looked to RJ in a mixture of confusion and anger that obviously something he had done had hurt Johnny.

"Go after him Liv." RJ told her.

"What..."

"Just go after him!" He instructed her. "I'll explain when you get home, just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

As she left, Lily came to his side, looking up at her husband.

"What's going on?" She asked him. "Why's Johnny so pissed?"

"Let me handle it." RJ assured her. "My gift to him just backfired on me. Now I have to face the consequences."


	29. Johnny's Credit

Liv finally tracked Johnny down at his uncle's wreckers yard, stripping components out of an engine. She came over to him, tapping him on the shoulder to attract his attention.

"You ran out of there pretty fast." She told him. "I've been looking for you all night."

"Well you've found me." He told her. He continued to work on the car he was taking apart. She reached over, snatching the wrench from his hand.

"Johnny, will you just stop and talk to me for a minute?" She asked him.

"What's the point Liv?" He asked her. "I've done everything for him and he stabbed me in the back!"

"Johnny..."

"He took the credit for my work!" He snarled angrily. "I busted my ass for him that night, and he let them print that article saying it was his work!"

"Johnny, he probably didn't have any control over what that article said." Liv assured him. "Please, dad's done so much for you, for both of us..."

"How could he possibly explain this?" He asked her. "What could he possibly say to make this right?"

"I don't know Johnny, I just...I don't know." She told him. "Just please, come in tomorrow. Give dad a chance to explain."

"I don't know about this." He told her. "I want to believe there's a good reason for all this. I want to trust him, he's done so much for me, but this just hurts."

He kicked the door of the car and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"When I first came here, everyone thought I was a lost cause. No one wanted to give me a chance, not the teachers, not my folks, not even Uncle Vinnie. Mrs. Martin believed in me, RJ believed in me. Since he started letting me work in the kitchen, I've found something I love doing. For once I feel like I'm good at something, that there's something I could do with my life. That's why I hate it so much that I wasn't acknowledged in that review."

"Johnny, I don't know what happened with that." She told him. "Just please, give dad a chance to explain."

"I just don't know if I can." He told her. "When I saw him, all I felt was angry."

"Johnny, please do it for me." She replied, placing a hand on his face gently and drawing him down, kissing him deeply. "I really want this to be right between you both."

"Liv, whatever happens with RJ, it won't affect how things are between us." He told her.

"That's not true and you know it." She told him sadly. "They're my family Johnny; I really need things to be alright between you."

With that, she turned and left, leaving Johnny to his work. It was emotional blackmail, but she knew it would work. She was serious when she said that she needed him and RJ to be cool with each other. RJ and Lily had given her a home and a family. As much as she loved Johnny, if she needed to make a choice between them, she would side with RJ. She just hoped that she wouldn't be forced to make that choice.

In the temple, Susan laid her daughter Michaela down for the night. Jarrod came over behind her, kissing her neck softly.

"How was she?" He asked her. Michaela had been a little sickly lately. They didn't really know why, but she just seemed to constantly be ill and tired. At first, Jarrod had been worried about her because of his family history of Leukaemia. He had been all clear for close to two years now, but that didn't mean the thought of it coming back didn't still worry him. Now though, he had another worry. As much as the thought terrified him, it was possible that he might pass it on to his daughter. They had taken her for tests, but so far everything showed up as negative. Susan shook her head sadly.

"She barely ate anything when I fed her." She told him. "She just seems so weak. I wish we knew what was wrong with her."

"Michelle and Flit are going to find out what's wrong with her." He told her. "You know they will."

He kissed her again as he looked down on his daughter. She was so tiny and helpless, and there was nothing he could do to help her. All he could do was wait and hope that eventually they would figure out why his daughter was so weak.

"She seems to be comfortable at least." He told her. "I guess that's the best we can hope for right now."

"I guess so." Susan said sadly as a tear ran down her face.

The following morning, RJ was preparing to set up the restaurant. He looked to the chip Johnny had taken out of the counter when he struck it with the trophy. He sighed deeply seeing it. He knew Johnny was upset about the review, and he had sent Liv to go and talk to him. She told him when she got back that she had talked him into coming to see him.

"You're early." RJ commented.

"How did you know...?"

"I heard you come in." He told him. "I have really good hearing."

He turned around to face the massive teenager.

"Liv wanted me to talk to you." Johnny told him. "She means a lot to me."

"Please, take a seat." RJ instructed him. Johnny took a chair off a table, and righted it, taking a seat. "Johnny, that critic spoke to me before he left. He wanted a few details for his article. I told him that I was the chef that made his meal."

"Well at least you didn't try to bullshit me by trying tell me you didn't know what you were doing." Johnny responded angrily, wringing his hands in frustration. "So you did stab me in the back!"

"Johnny, please let me finish." He continued. "Do you know why I was throwing you that party last night?"

"It was my birthday." Johnny answered. "You really got me a great present."

"It was your sixteenth birthday." Johnny reminded him. "Johnny, when you worked in the kitchen that night, you were 15. You weren't signed off on all the health and safety forms. Legally you couldn't work in the kitchen."

He took a seat with Johnny and looked at him sadly.

"Johnny, if anyone found out you were cooking here, I could have been reported. I might have even been shut down." He told him. "I'd have opened myself up to all sorts of lawsuits and food poisoning claims. If they knew I had an underage, uncertified chef working for me, it could have cost me everything."

He ran a hand through his hair as he leant back in his chair to regain his thoughts.

"Johnny, it's a testament to how much faith I have in you that I was willing to risk my business like that." He told him. "I always wanted to give you a trial as a chef, and when I saw that critic's name on the books, I just jumped the gun. When he wanted your name, I knew I couldn't give it to him."

RJ got up and went into the kitchen, before coming back out and placing a stack of forms on the table.

"I'm sorry Johnny; I should never have waited until you were old enough to give you that trial." He told him. "I was going to give you these last night."

"It's my health and safety forms." Johnny remarked.

"There's also a new contract in there." He informed him. "Once you sign that, you will be my apprentice officially. I'll still need you to serve in the dining room from time to time, but I'll give you more time and more freedom in the kitchen."

"I don't know what to say!" Johnny gasped.

"I know what I'd like you to say." RJ told him. "You'll earn plenty of accolades in your career Johnny. I'm sorry that you didn't get the credit you deserved. That was my fault."

"It's alright." He replied, looking through the forms. "I can't believe you're giving me this!"

"Like I said Johnny, I believe in you." RJ replied, extending a hand. "So what do you say?"

"I say you just got yourself an apprentice." He replied, shaking RJ's hand cheerfully. "Sorry about the counter."

"It's alright; I'll just take it out your pay." He replied. Johnny just stared at him. "It's a joke Johnny."

Johnny just laughed and turned around, heading out the door on his way to school. Lily came in, putting her arm around RJ.

"Did you square things up with him?" She asked him. RJ smiled.

"I did." He told her. "You know, he's a good kid."

"He really is." She replied.

Over in the academy, Susan was making her way towards the nursery as it came time to feed Michaela again. She paused as she saw an animal spirit in the hall before her.

It was tiny, barely any larger than a cat, and seemed to be feline. It paced around. Susan had never seen it before; she knew all the students and knew what all their animal spirits were. She had never seen this one.

"Susan, how's...?" Jarrod's words tailed off as he saw the animal spirit too. "Is that a lion?"

"Whose animal spirit is it?" Susan asked him. Just then, it noticed them and rushed into the nursery. They came in just in time to see it leap into the crib.

"Michaela!" Jarrod called out as he rushed over to his daughter, only to see the spirit meld into her. He picked her up, holding her close to him.

"That was her spirit?" She asked him.

"It looks like it." He told her, his face pale as all the blood drained from it with worry.

"How is that even possible?" She asked him. "How can her animal spirit be mature enough to form yet?"

"She's uninitiated." Jarrod told her. "Lily's dad, he's what the Pai Zhuq call the Uninitiated, a person whose animal spirit is so strong that it can be summoned even without training."

"So she can use it?" Susan asked him.

"It's not that simple." He told her. "Because the bearer hasn't received the training necessary to come into harmony with their animal spirit, using it drains their life force. That must be why she's so weak."

"It drains their life force?" Susan asked him, the worry evident in her voice. "But Lily's dad..."

"The last time he used it, it very nearly killed him." Jarrod informed her. "We need to talk to the masters."

"What can we do?" Susan asked him. Jarrod shook his head.

"I don't know." He told her. "I really don't know."


	30. The Master's Soluion

Jarrod and Susan arrived at Master Swoop's place a little after midday. Like the other Masters, he didn't really place much value in worldly possessions, and so his home was a little quaint.

It was a simple wooden shack that he had built with Finn after they had opted to leave the temple to further their own studies. It had a little shrubbery growing over it, which made it kind of blend into the forest. Upon close inspection, the door would reveal its location, but the foliage made it virtually invisible to a simple cursory glance to anyone just strolling through the area. Swoop valued his privacy since he left the temple.

Jarrod shifted Michaela into the crook of his left arm as he knocked on the door gently. Swoop answered a short time later.

"Jarrod, please come inside." He told him. Jarrod ducked as he stepped into the little shack, but stopped short and let out a sigh.

"Swoop..."

"Oh, right, of course the lights." He commented, picking up a wax taper and lighting it, going around the room to where several paraffin lamps were hanging. Being blind, light really wasn't an issue for him in his home. His home didn't have any windows, another precaution to ensure his privacy here, and so the only light came from the lamps, which he only really bothered to light when company came around.

The shack was dug into the earth a little way, meaning that once through the door, the ceiling was quite high, a necessary feature given Swoop's height. The inside was almost as modest as the outside. There were shelves all around the room, stacked with hundreds of leather-bound tomes, parchments and scrolls. Swoop had been in Pai Zhuq almost all his life, being adopted into the temple as a child. It was so deeply ingrained in his sense of self that even once he opted to leave to refine his own studies, he still served the temple faithfully. He rarely accepted students anymore, Theo being the only one he'd trained since he had taught RJ, but he maintained another position with the temple as kind of an unofficial historian.

His home had been built to be incredibly dry, perfect for housing the aging documents he kept there. In the house there were a couple of cushions for comfort, and a bed in the corner, but other than that the entire place was dedicated to his studies. There was a desk on which there was a device designed to print Braille lettering onto paper. He had painstakingly spent years converting the documents relating to the history and teachings of the temple into Braille. As he finished lighting the last lamp, it gave the room a deep, warm, orange glow that gave the room a spiritual glow, like a church. He shook out the taper, putting it safely into a container before turning back to Jarrod.

"The others will be coming shortly." He informed them, reaching out for Michaela. "May I examine her?"

Jarrod handed her over to Swoop gently. The Bat Master adjusted his position to hold her securely. His face became stern and serious as he traced his free hand over her.

"Her animal spirit is strong, easily one of the strongest I've ever felt." He told them. "It is unheard of for a child so young to have an animal spirit of such power."

"She's been really weak and sick lately." Jarrod informed him. "At first we thought she was coming down with something, but this morning we saw her animal spirit."

"You said that it manifested." Swoop remarked as he held her.

"It was a lion cub." Susan informed him. Swoop just nodded as he heard this. "It got startled when it saw us and ran off back into her crib. That's when we saw it disappear inside her."

"So she's Uninitiated." Jarrod sighed, looking to his little girl. "I've heard of it happening before, but never so young. The youngest I've ever heard of anyone's animal spirit manifesting was 19."

Just then, the door opened and Master Finn came in, closely followed by Master Phant. They made their way inside, taking positions where they wouldn't be in the way.

"Alright, this is something I haven't seen before." Swoop told them. "She's definitely Uninitiated, but she's manifested her animal spirit far younger than anyone I've ever heard of."

"She's only a few months old." Phant reminded them. "Normally it takes years for an animal spirit to become strong enough to manifest."

"Normally we would suggest training her." Master Finn told them. "Of course, I think we can all agree that isn't really an option."

"She can't even hold her head up." Jarrod muttered. "I doubt she'll understand meditation techniques."

"Alright, let's get to work." Swoop instructed them. "Look up anything you can about the Uninitiated. If we're going to help her, we need to know what happened."

Meanwhile, in Master Finn's boat, Gabby came out onto the deck, where Dom was busy navigating along the course he had plotted for their journey. Gabby approached him, pulling him down and kissing him softly as she took a look at the chart.

"We're making pretty good time." She complimented him. "As near as I can tell we're ahead of schedule."

"The barometer is acting up and I really don't like the look of those clouds." He informed her. "I think the weather might turn, so I wanted to make it to our next stop before it does."

"That might be a good idea." She responded, looking to the clouds. "So what's the next stop?"

"There's a little island that Finn told me about. He says he goes there at least once every summer." He informed her. "It's completely deserted."

"I don't see it on the map." She remarked. Dom just smirked.

"That would be why it's deserted." He told her. "It'll be just you, me, and the best crab for miles."

"Dom, if there's a storm coming, do you really think going to a deserted island's really the best idea?" She asked him.

"Finn assured me that there's a sheltered cove that'll keep the boat safe." He assured her. "He told me he discovered this place when he got caught in some harsh weather and needed to shelter overnight."

He secured the rudder, before turning to face her, wrapping his arms around her and smiling.

"Your Uncle packed the camping gear. I know how much you love camping." He told her. "Just imagine, a warm fire, some fresh crab..."

"Torrential rain." She added. Dom just smiled.

"I guess that just means we'll need to stick to the tent." He told her. "And we'll just have to stick close to each other for warmth."

"I guess I do love camping." She replied, kissing him deeply. "So what can I do to help? We really should get to that cove before the storm starts."

"I'm sure we have time..."

"I'd guess only a couple of hours." She commented. "I can smell the ozone."

Dom just turned his attention back to the barometer, noting that it was falling even further.

"I guess you're right." He told her. "Take care of that sail; it looks like we need to pick up a little speed."

Back at Master Swoop's house, the Masters and Jarrod continued to look through documents while Susan tended to her daughter. Master Phant placed the book he was researching down on the table and stroked the bridge of his nose.

"I still have no idea how this could have happened. How could her animal spirit be so strong already?" He asked aloud. "I've checked every record I could find, and the youngest I can find anyone calling their animal spirit is 21."

"Wait, 21?" Swoop asked him. "Jarrod, I thought you said the youngest Uninitiated known was 19."

"Yeah." He answered.

"Where did you find that record?" He asked, getting up to look for more documents.

"I didn't get it from any document. It was Casey." He informed them. The three Masters looked at him a little stunned.

"Casey?" Swoop asked him.

"Yeah, back during his first week at Pai Zhuq." Jarrod told them. He looked a little ashamed at the memory of his days back at the temple before he managed to turn his life around. "I was pushing him around and he unleashed it into a roar."

"Yeah, I remember him saying something about that." Susan commented. "He said he felt like someone had really rung his bell afterwards."

"So there is a family history of Uninitiated in the Rhodes family." Phant commented softly. "Combine that with the fact that her father is the Chosen One..."

"One of the most powerful animal spirits ever to exist..." Master Finn pitched in.

"And very quickly we're talking about a lot of potential power building up in one body." Master Swoop confirmed. "You said she had a lion spirit."

"We both do." Jarrod recalled. "When Whiger took Casey's tiger spirit, you said he could keep it because he had a tiger spirit himself, so he had a greater affinity for it."

"So with both of us having lion spirits, Michaela had a natural ability with her own." Susan whispered, looking down on her daughter regretfully. "So she's able to call it before she's ready to control it."

"Unfortunately now that's greatly harming both of them." Master Phant told her. "Without being able to commune with her lion spirit and come into harmony with it, any time it manifests it puts a great strain on both of them. I am afraid that the strain could be life threatening."

"So what can we do?" Jarrod asked him.

"It's going to take some thought." Master Phant told him. "We'll come up with something."

Master Finn came over to him and whispered in his ear.

"You know what we have to do." Master Finn told him.

"We should look for another solution first." Master Phant replied. "We need to try."

"If we leave things as they are, Michaela could die." Master Finn reminded him. "I know you don't want to, but we must consider what's best for both of them."

"Please, let me just try and find another solution first." Master Phant told him, looking over to the young family sadly. "That isn't a course of action I want to take if I can help it."

Back on the boat, the wind was starting to whip up the waves and the rain was starting to come down as the island came into view. Gabby pulled some hair back to get a better look as they started to approach.

"The cove is directly ahead!" She told him. "The rocks make a natural basin. If we get in there before the storm really picks up we should be fine."

"I'm on it!" Dom told her, struggling with the rudder control. He guided the boat through the choppy sea as quickly as he could. "Cut the main sail, we're going to need to reduce speed before we get into the cove."

Gabby got to work quickly, pulling in the main sail. Dom guided the boat through the mouth into the cove.

He took the anchor and tossed it overboard, before grabbing a couple of lines.

"Those trees look secure." He told Gabby, before diving overboard. He waded out onto the bank, beginning to tie it off, before finding more anchor points to tie off the boat. Gabby meanwhile went into the cabin to look out the camping supplies, before reappearing on deck. Dom finished securing the boat so it wouldn't run aground as she leapt into the water and ran ashore.

"Well I guess it's an adventure." She remarked. "Come and help me set this up."

Dom joined her higher on the bank as they struggled to set up the tent before the winds got too high to accomplish it. He smiled as he looked at her while they worked.

"So is this like the camping you remember with your Uncle?" He asked her. Gabby just smiled back.

"Actually we tended not to try and camp in a storm." She told him. "Of course this is kinda fun."

Back at the cabin, the Masters continued to search for a solution to the situation with Michaela. Master Phant placed down his book gently as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Master Phant, you have to keep trying." Jarrod begged him. "Please, if anyone can help Michaela you can."

"I'm sorry Jarrod, but I can't think of any way to unify her with her animal spirit. She's simply too young to train." He told him. He looked over to where Master Finn was sitting and shook his head regretfully. He had hoped to avoid this. "I'm afraid there is only one solution."

"Please, we'll do anything." Susan told him. "What can we do?"

Master Phant reached inside his robes, pulling out a small clay pot with a few runes and animals carved into it. Jarrod recognised it.

"Master Phant..."

"I'm afraid there is no other way." He told them. "We must remove her animal spirit."

"Remove her animal sprit?" Susan asked him. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Her animal spirit is a part of her!" Jarrod protested. "You can't take it away!"

"I'm not planning to remove it permanently." He clarified. "I'm proposing that for the good of both of them, I remove her animal spirit, and then take it to the Vault. Sean and the others will take care of it there until she is old enough for us to return it to her."

"Has anyone ever removed an animal spirit for so long?" Jarrod asked him in a sigh.

"It has never been done before." Master Finn confirmed. "However, we believe it is the only way that we can ensure Michaela's welfare."

"What do you think Master Swoop?" Jarrod asked him. Swoop shook his head sadly.

"I have no idea what effect such a lengthy separation from the animal spirit may have on the relationship between it and its host." He informed him. "However, I fear it may be the lesser of two evils."

Jarrod paced the room as he considered his options.

"Susan, what do you think?" He asked her.

"Jarrod, you know more about this stuff than I do." She told him. "But look at her; she's already so weak because of this."

She moved closer to him and looked into his eyes pleadingly.

"We can't lose her. Not like this." She told him. "I think we need to do this."

Jarrod just took a deep breath and nodded his head as he gestured to Master Phant.

"Alright, go ahead." He told them. Master Phant uncorked the pot at which he began the ritual to draw her animal spirit into it. Jarrod just leaned down near his daughter, whispering into her ear.

"I'm sorry; we need to do this for your own good." He whispered to her. "I love you. Please forgive me."


	31. The Newlyweds Return

Early in the morning, Master Finn and Jarrod at the harbour in the JKP van in anticipation of Gabby and Dom arriving home from their honeymoon. It had seemed like such a long time since they'd left, especially for Finn who had been going a little stir crazy without his beloved boat to go on fishing trips. Jarrod had come to help with the luggage, and to ensure that Gabby and Dom were informed about what they had to do to Michaela before they saw her and Susan. While it had been a while since they had removed her animal spirit, they still felt badly about having to do so.

"It looks like they're making good time." Master Finn commented as he gestured to the opening to the harbour, where his boat was just coming into view. Jarrod smiled a little as he saw Dom at the wheel, guiding it forward. Gabby appeared on deck a second later, taking up the lines. As Dom guided the boat to the dock, she leapt overboard, landing on the dock nimbly and tying it off.

"Master Finn!" She shrieked, hugging him warmly. "Jarrod, it's great to see you!"

"We just came to take you to your new place." Master Finn told her, casting a quick glance over to the boat. "It looks like you both took good care of the old girl."

"We did everything we could to keep her safe." Dom replied as he leapt onto the dock, landing next to them. "Thanks for recommending that cove to us. It really sheltered us from that storm a few nights back."

"I'm glad you liked it." He told them. "Did you try any of the crab?"

"I have to say it was amazing!" Gabby responded. "Mom and dad love shellfish, but I've never tasted anything like that."

"You don't need to worry though, we won't tell anyone." Dom assured him, wrapping his arms around his new wife softly. "We wouldn't want anyone to go there and overfish it. It's such a special spot..."

"OK, stop right there before you give me bad mental images." Jarrod told them. "I really don't think we need to hear..."

"I can completely understand." Master Finn told them. "It's a really romantic spot. I remember..."

"Ew!" Gabby and Dom chorused together. Master Finn just laughed and leaned over to Jarrod.

"That's how you stop that kind of talk." He replied. "Anyway, we should get you to your apartment. The guys have been working hard to get it ready."

"I can't believe we're finally moving in." Dom said with a little smile as Jarrod went to fetch the bags.

"I can't believe it's nearly time for the store to open." She replied. "How has Shane been coping getting things together?"

"He's had some help." Master Finn told her. "Cam, Hunter and Kelly came in to help him when the stock started arriving."

"I can't wait to see what they've done with the place." Gabby stated as Jarrod and Dom started to load the van. "I can't wait to see my niece. How is she?"

Master Finn looked a little pained as she asked this. He gestured over Jarrod, who was just finishing the last of the luggage.

"She's asking after Michaela." He told him. Gabby and Dom looked at each other a little worried.

"Is she alright?" Gabby asked them. "What's happened to her?"

"She seems to be alright now." Jarrod told them. "She had been awfully weak and was getting sick a lot. It turns out that she's Uninitiated."

"Uninitiated?" Dom asked him. "How could you know that? She's far too young."

"It seems that she's been able to summon her animal spirit." Jarrod told them. "It's too strong for her to control. We were forced to take it from her."

"You took her animal spirit?" Dom asked him. "How long for?"

"We don't know." Jarrod informed them. "Until she's old enough to train in the mental preparations necessary to harmonise with it, we can't risk giving it back to her. We've had it taken to The Vault for safe keeping."

"We still don't know what such a long separation will do to the relationship between her and her lion spirit." Master Finn sighed. "But given the alternative..."

"I'm sure Sean and the others will take good care of it." Dom replied sadly. Jarrod just put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to put a dampener on your homecoming." He responded. "Anyway, we should be getting to yours. You still have to unpack..."

"And deal with the surprise party." Dom and Gabby chorused together. Jarrod and Finn looked at each other.

"You're all a lot more predictable than you think." Gabby stated. "We knew you wouldn't let our housewarming go without some kind of celebration."

"Besides, it'll be the last chance before the store opens." Dom reminded them, putting his arm around his wife. "After then, I'm sure this little hummingbird will be more than a little busy."

"Don't remind me." She grumbled. "I still haven't found anyone to help in the store yet. I know Shane said he'd stick around for a while, but he's got stuff to get back to in Blue Bay."

"I'm sure as soon as people see how awesome your store is, you'll be turning people away by the dozen for jobs." Dom told her as they climbed into the van. "Trust me Gabby, I'm sure everything will work out fine."

Meanwhile, over at the new, soon-to-open Storm Chargers, Shane was in the garage with Cam and Hunter, working on a little surprise they had for Gabby. Her bike had been more than a little thrashed after the accident at the contest all those months ago, but Kelly had spent a fair amount of time and effort getting it fixed up and cleaned. They had brought it over from Blue Bay as kind of a house-warming gift.

Hunter fired up the engine, and frowned a little as he heard it. The engine was running, but he could still hear that something wasn't quite right with it. Cam was studying a computer readout, while Shane was there more for moral support and to hand them tools when they needed them.

"It's still sounding a little rough." Hunter commented. "Damn it, we're going to have to strip it again. I must have missed something."

"Come on Hunter, we've stripped it and rebuilt it three times already." Cam groaned. "If my computer can't find what's wrong with it, then there's nothing wrong."

"Besides, it's running." Shane said with a shrug. "Isn't that what's important?"

"I just wish I could have got it running smoothly." Hunter sighed. "It's really kicking my ass. I really wish Murry..."

"The fuel intake's struggling, the pistons are needing replaced and the radiator sounds like it belongs on my grandmother's bike." A voice stated from the door. They all looked around to see a guy standing in the door. He was wearing a heavy canvas jacket, bearing numerous patches relating to various causes and cargo pants. He had military surplus store boots, and long, shaggy blonde hair he just kind of let do its own thing. He took a draw on his cigarette.

"I'm sorry, the store isn't open..."

"I was told to come back in a couple of weeks when the owner would be here." He responded. He gestured to the bike as he took off his jacket, revealing a motocross t-shirt, and his arms, both of which had intricate sleeve tattoos running the full length of them. "Do you mind?"

"Hunter got off the bike as the stranger approached. Shane pulled him in close.

"I remember this guy. I told him to come back later to get rid of him." He whispered so the stranger wouldn't hear.

"Yeah, this should only take me a couple of minutes." The stranger told him, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and holding it back towards Hunter. "Would you hold this dude?"

Hunter took it off him, realising that it was a joint. Shane just gestured to indicate that was the reason he had tried to send the guy packing.

"Dude, how could you not see how gnarly this set-up is?" The stranger asked him. "Did a mechanic look at this at all?"

"The owner re-built most of the engine herself." Hunter told him. "We kind of tinkered with it after the accident..."

"I recognise this bike now, this was the one that wiped out in the last OB contest." He remarked. "Well you've not done bad for amateurs..."

"Amateurs?" Hunter asked him, a little annoyed as the stranger got to work. "I'll have you know that I'm..."

"Hunter Bradley, of course I know that." He interrupted him. "Trust me, I could tell who you were from the door. I follow Motocross like a hot chick in a bikini."

"Charming." Cam muttered under his breath at this remark. The stranger just started up the engine, at which it started purring like a kitten.

"How the hell did you do that?" Hunter asked him.

"I just made a little tweak or two, screwed around with the pipes..." He said casually. "I reckon that took about three, four seconds from the lap time and added about six months to the bike's lifespan, but it'll need an overhaul pretty soon."

"You know your engines." Hunter conceded, handing him back the joint. "Um...would you mind?"

"Oh, sure thing dude." He responded, stubbing out the joint and stowing it behind his ear for later. "So when does the owner get here?"

"She's getting back from her honeymoon today." Hunter told him. "I'm sure she could meet you tomorrow."

"Cool." He replied as he pulled on his jacket and prepared to leave. Cam got up from his computer.

"Don't you have a resume or something you could leave us?" He asked him.

"Just show her the bike dude." He replied. "Name's Conrad, but everyone calls me Rad."

With that, he left. Shane shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe that stoner actually came back." He remarked. "I was sure his brain would be too fried to remember where this place is."

"His brain can't be that bad." Hunter commented, gesturing to the bike. "None of us could figure out what was wrong with this. He fixed it in a minute flat."

"Come on, the guy's a complete space case!" Shane called out.

"Just let Gabby meet him and talk to him. She can make the decision." Hunter told him.

"He doesn't even have a resume." Shane told him. "How do we know if he's qualified?"

"I think that's for Gabby to decide." Hunter reminded him, turning over the engine again and smiling. "Besides, she needs staff, and she needs a mechanic. If this guy's as good as he claims to be, she might have one less headache to worry about."

Meanwhile, in the store, the guys were waiting for Gabby and Dom to return. Liv was finishing stocking the magazine rack as Kelly was setting up the register ahead of the grand opening. Gabby's mom and dad were taking a look around with Master Phant.

"Master Finn really did a good job of the interior." George remarked happily. "This place looks really amazing."

"Gabby's designs worked out really well." Deborah added. "I'm sure the kids are going to love this place."

"She definitely deserved that honeymoon given how much work she's put into setting this all up." Master Phant agreed. "The Grand Opening tomorrow is going to be her crowning achievement."

"I have to admit, I had my reservations when she first told me about her idea." George admitted. "But she really sold me on that presentation she did. Can you believe I had to hire three temps at my company because of all the calls I've been getting asking when the store and the track are going to open."

"I've had kids in all week asking about the posters we hung in the restaurant." RJ told them cheerfully.

"We've had the same response at the Rock Porium." Susan told them. "I'm sure Gabby's going to make a killing tomorrow."

"I've got the Mayor and three newspapers turning up for the launch." George informed them. "I'm sure Gabby's going to have plenty to occupy her time tomorrow."

"Are they back yet?" Cam asked as he came back into the room with Hunter and Shane.

"Not yet." Kelly told them, coming over and kissing her husband softly. "So did you manage to straighten out that niggle in her bike?"

"Actually none of us did." Hunter told her. "Some weird guy showed up looking for a job. He fixed it in two minutes flat."

"He even managed to figure it out before my computer." Cam admitted. "I've got no idea how he did it."

"I've got no idea how he could find his fingers." Shane muttered.

"What's that meant to mean?" Kelly asked him.

"Try smelling Hunter's clothes and you'll see what I mean." Shane told her. Kelly sniffed his shirt and looked at him a little accusingly. Hunter just held up his hands defensively.

"It's nothing to do with me, he had it." He rushed out. Just then, they heard the door open and Master Finn entered, followed by Jarrod carrying some bags. Dom came in next, carrying Gabby over the threshold.

"Gabby, it's great to see you!" Lily gushed as she came over, hugging her tightly. "How was the honeymoon?"

"We had a great time." She told them cheerfully. "I really loved it, we got some amazing pictures."

"I really loved it." Dom added, exchanging hugs with a few of the guys.

"This place looks amazing!" Gabby complimented them as she rushed around the store, looking around. "Master Finn, you're a genius!"

"Well I followed your plans mostly." He told her. "I'm really glad you're pleased."

"Well we should probably go and let you get settled and relax." Deborah told her daughter, kissing her cheek softly. "You have a really big day tomorrow."

"Not to mention the fact that you're still technically on honeymoon." Kelly added happily. "Between the grand opening and the new introductions, you're going to have a big day."

"Introductions?" Gabby asked them.

"Well, one important one anyway." Hunter stated, holding his wife closely. "The adoption agency approved our application."

"Really?" Gabby screeched, hugging her former employer and her husband excitedly. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys!"

"I know you really wanted this." Dom added, shaking Hunter's hand. Gabby had told him that he and Kelly had been told they would never have children of their own. They had been on the assessment list for adoption for a while, and were eager to start their family. Hunter had been adopted himself, so they all knew how it was doubly important to him, not just to have a family, but also to be giving a good home to another kid who had ended up alone in the world. "Congratulations."

"We're really happy to have him." Kelly told them. "You'll get a chance to meet him tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to it." Gabby responded. The rest all said their goodbyes, leaving the newlyweds alone. Dom saw them out as Gabby took one last look around the store. Dom came over behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"When I first thought of this, I never would have imagined anything like this." She whispered, running her hand over a display of motocross armour. "When we started planning this, it all seemed so far away. I can't believe it's really happening."

"I can." Dom told her with a smile. "Whenever you set your mind to something, it's pretty much set in stone. It's one of the things I love about you. I never doubted this for a minute."

"Really?" She asked him, looking over her shoulder at him. Dom nodded in response.

"I also have no doubt it will be a huge success." He assured her.

"I'd like to think so." She replied. Dom grabbed her wrist as she reached for one of her bags.

"We can leave those until morning." He told her. "I think maybe we should get an early night."

"I like the sound of that." Gabby replied, taking his hand and leading her husband upstairs into their apartment.


	32. Rad

Gabby, Hunter, Shane and Kelly were just putting the final touches on the decorations for the launch party when Dom arrived with RJ, Johnny, Liv and Hunter. They were carrying several containers, and a few drinks coolers. As part of the launch party, Gabby had commissioned RJ and Johnny to make a buffet and supply drinks. It was a very simple idea, designed to keep the customers in the store as long as possible.

"So where do we set up?" Johnny asked her. Gabby pointed to a corner of the store.

"I've cleared an area over there for you." She told them. Hunter took them over, beginning to set up a table.

"This place looks amazing." Kelly complimented her. "I guess that's the benefit of building the place from the ground up. I know I had more than a few headaches when I took over my store."

"If it wasn't for dad, I'd never have been able to start this up." Gabby replied. Just then, Cam came in with a young boy. He looked to be about 7 or 8 years old, and had a full head of thick dark hair. He was kind of a small, scrawny kid. Gabby came over to them and hugged Cam tightly.

"The park was packed; there were kids all over the place." He told her. "This place is the biggest thing to hit the town since the Rangers."

"Well I'm just hoping that the excitement translates into good sales." She told him, before turning her attention to the little boy. "Well I guess you must be Raymond. I've been dying to meet you!"

The little boy pulled in to Cam, hiding his face a little. Kelly came over, kneeling with him.

"He's a little shy around people he doesn't know." She told her, before guiding him away from his 'uncle'. "Ray, this is Gabby, she's the friend I've been telling you about."

Gabby waited for him to come to her. She knew that they had adopted Ray a short while ago. The sad fact was that she was sure to end up in an orphanage; he probably hadn't had the easiest of times in his short life. She didn't want to think about what could have happened to him to make him so uneasy around other people. He finally came over to her, at which she shook his hand.

"It's great meeting you." She told him.

"It's going to be a while before I can get him a bike." Hunter told her, putting his arm around his little boy. "His uncle Shane's already getting him into skateboarding."

"Really, well I think I might be able to do something about that." She replied, making her way over to a display. She picked up a skateboard that was intricately painted with the likenesses of the Jungle Fury rangers. She held it out for him.

"Here's a little something I think you'd like. The little boy's face lit up as he looked between it and his parents. Hunter nodded to indicate that it was alright. He took the gift from her.

"Thank you." He stated as she bent down to his level and hugged him.

"That was really nice of you." Kelly told her. "He already has a board, but I'm sure he'll love it."

"It's great to know Sally will have a playmate now." Gabby replied as he ran off to show Shane his new board.

"She thinks its great having a cousin." Kelly assured her. "It's early days yet, but he seems to be getting used to having us around."

"He's really something." Gabby replied, looking to Kelly with a little smile. "He really landed on his feet getting you as parents."

Just then, she heard a harsh knocking on the door. It was still a while until the store opened, and the time of the opening had been advertised all over town. Gabby just went over to the door, curious as to who was there. Shane rolled his eyes as he saw Rad waiting there.

"Sorry, we aren't open yet." She told him.

"I wasn't here for the party; I was looking for a job." He told her. "So where's the dudette that runs the place?"

"That would be me." She told him. Rad pulled off his shades, looking her up and down a little curiously.

"You're a kid." He commented. "I was expecting..."

"I'm the owner." She interrupted him in a groan, before gesturing to the joint in his hand. "Would you please not smoke that in here? There's no smoking in the store."

"Sorry." He replied, looking around for somewhere to stub it out. He finally picked up a side plate from the buffet table and used it as an impromptu ash tray, raising a slightly annoyed look from Johnny. "So, I like, heard that you were looking for staff."

"I guess I am." She replied, taking the plate from him. "So do you have a resume?"

"No can do, I've never typed one out." He told her. Gabby looked to Shane who was standing behind Rad, miming smoking and giving her goofy looks to indicate that he believed he was baked. Gabby just ignored him.

"What are your qualifications?" She asked him.

"Sorry, I don't carry much paper." He told her. "I never graduated high school."

"There's a shocker." Shane muttered under his breath. Rad though, didn't seem to have heard him.

"Have you got any kind of references?" She asked him. "You know...at all?"

"Well I was a member of the Iazamu team during the 2009 season." He told her. "I was also part of the factory blue pit crew in the 2006-2008 seasons, and the Ripper Storm team from 2004 to 2006."

"Are you serious?" Hunter asked him. He looked to Gabby. "Those seasons the teams took most of the regional championships."

"Yeah, they were good times." Rad remarked with a grin. "I've been tinkering with engines since I could hold a spanner."

Gabby looked to Shane who just rolled his eyes. He was still completely unconvinced by Rad's assertions.

"Well you still don't have any staff." Hunter reminded her. She finally shook her head.

"Alright, I'll give you a trial." She told him. "You have kind of a good look for the store, and you seem to know the scene."

"Thanks dudette." He told her. She held up a hand.

"Three things though, first of all stop calling me dudette." She told him.

"Sure thing boss." He replied.

"Secondly, no smoking on my time." She told him. "What you do on your own time is your business, but I don't want that shit in my store."

"Got it." He replied.

"Finally, it's strictly a trial." She told him. "If you work out, I'll keep you on. If not, you're gone."

"You'll not regret it boss." He told her. Gabby was almost regretting her decision already, but she wasn't exactly in a position to turn him down. She had only limited mechanical abilities herself, and she hadn't exactly been swamped with applications.

"See that I don't." She replied. "Kelly, would you mind showing him how to use the register?"

"No problem." Kelly told her. As they left to go to the register, Rad put an arm around Kelly.

"So do you think the boss might front me an advance?" He asked her. "The rent's due on the basement I rent, and my mom is really hassling me for it."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret that?" Gabby sighed as she went to the door and flipped the sign.


	33. Storm Charger's Latest Recruit

Gabby made her way to the door of Storm Chargers, looking out the glass over the throng of customers waiting to enter. Her father's advertising and PR campaign had obviously done the trick, since it seemed like just about every x-games nut in the whole of Ocean Bluff had turned up.

She could already see a couple of reporters there; her father had used his contacts to ensure the grand opening would get some good coverage. Gabby had always been a little nervous, but this time she was looking forward to being the centre of attention. She had done the homework, and knew that the x-games crowd was very underrepresented in Ocean Bluff, but even she had underestimated the excitement this project would cause. The surfing beach and the motocross track and the skate park they had built behind the store were opening that day as well.

Gabby turned to take one last look over her "crew" for the day. Johnny and Liv were manning the buffet table to ensure it was kept stocked and relatively tidy. Shane was giving her a slightly forced smile as he stood next to Rad, a man he had made no secret of his instant dislike for. Rad gave her double thumbs up, and nodded his head frantically to indicate he was ready. Dom placed a hand on her shoulder to remind him he was there for her.

Hunter and Kelly were standing by the registers, holding their adopted son Ray gently in preparation for the rush. Gabby just took one last deep breath before opening the door and stepping onto the threshold with Dom. A huge cheer went up from the crowd. Gabby felt her face flushing a little as she stepped up to the crowd, a little embarrassed by the adulation of becoming something of an overnight celebrity. Dom handed her a loudhailer as she prepared to greet them.

"The x-games have come to Ocean Bluff!" She yelled, causing another huge cheer to go up from the crowd. "A few months ago when I started this project, I had no idea that it would receive this kind of support. Thank you all of you for making this day the success it is!"

"Richard Farley, Ocean Bluff Review." One of the reporters called out. "Ms. Wallace..."

"Actually it's Mrs. Hargan now." She corrected him, putting her arm around Dominic.

"Mrs. Hargan, the building of this store, and the skate park has been a hot topic of conversation around town for a long time now. How do you feel now that it's opening?"

"Without exaggeration, it's like getting married all over again." She replied. "When I had my accident in that competition all those months ago, riding was the thing I missed the most. Knowing that now my fellow extreme sports nuts have somewhere to go is incredibly exciting."

With that, she took a pair of scissors and prepared to cut the ribbon.

"So without further ado, I'd like to declare Storm Chargers Ocean Bluff officially open!" As she cut the ribbon, the cheer was deafening, and the customers rushed forward in a massive stampede. Dom pulled her aside before she was trampled by her customers as they pushed their way in the door.

"Well I think I can safely say that this looks promising." She laughed as he held her in his arms. "Let's just hope all this excitement translates into good sales."

"I'm sure Hunter and Kelly will have plenty to do." Dom assured her. "I think I see someone ringing up a sale now."

"I just wanted to thank you for putting up with me through all this." She told him, looking into his eyes. "I know I haven't been around as much as you'd like with all this going on."

"Gabby, seeing you this happy is all I wanted." He told her, kissing his wife softly. "Sure, a second week on honeymoon would have been great, but the way you've been in the times we have been together more than makes up for it."

Just then, she saw a couple of young women approaching. They looked remarkably alike, both red-haired and fair skinned. One of them was wearing a business suit, while the other was wearing a pair of cargo pants and sneakers with a graffiti art t-shirt. Her attention was drawn slightly to the fact the less formally dressed one was in a wheelchair. She made her way over as she noticed them struggling a little to get in the front door.

"Sorry, it's just teething problems." Gabby told them as she and Dom helped her in. "I guess I should have thought..."

"It's alright; I'm used to places like this not being the most accessible." The one in the wheelchair replied. She reached up a hand. "I'm Charity, this is my sister Denise."

"Gabby." She replied, shaking her hand.

"It looks like you've put a lot of work into this place." Charity commented. "It's great to see somewhere like this in Ocean Bluff."

"Well I really wanted something for the local kids to do." Gabby informed her. "There's food over there, other than that feel free to have a look around, and let me know if there's anything else I can do."

As she left, Shane came over with a curious look on his face. As he watched them go, Gabby popped him on the shoulder.

"It's rude to stare." She teased him.

"No, I'm sure I've seen her before." He told her. Gabby just laughed.

"Well with the number of girls you date, I'm not surprised you know her." She replied sarcastically. "Come on, just..."

"No, I do know her." He told her. "I think she's a skateboarder."

"Really?" Gabby asked him, looking at the two sisters as they checked out the merchandise. "Well, I guess not every boarder wears baggy pants and t-shirts."

Just then, they came back over. Denise smiled, giving the store another look around.

"Well I love the layout." She told her, before pulling out a resume. "I heard you were looking for staff."

"Well I guess I am." Gabby replied, taking the resume from her. She read through it, finding the accomplishments listed.

"Omaha, San Francisco, Los Angeles..." She began, listing her city championships. "Two state championships?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty impressive resume." She responded.

"I'll say it is!" Gabby gasped. "What would you want to work here for?"

"Um...it's not her that wants to work here." Charity chipped in. "It's me, that's my resume."

Gabby had to try hard to contain her surprise. She forced a smile as she tried to consider the young woman before her.

"Charity..."

"That's where I knew you from, you're Charity Lane!" Shane chipped in, coming over. "I saw you in the Blue Bay Harbour tournament a few years ago, you were amazing!"

"That all seems like so long ago." She replied, clearly happy that someone seemed to remember her. "I like to keep track of the scene."

"Well you definitely sound like you'll know what you're talking about with the skating crowd." Gabby commented. "Um...I hate to ask..."

"It's alright, I get asked all the time." Charity told her. "I was in a tournament in Sacramento and I took a bad bail. My back hit the edge of the half pipe. I broke my back and damaged the spinal cord. I've been paraplegic ever since."

Gabby felt a little bad for her, having heard her story. She remembered what it felt like when she broke her leg. She had been laid up for weeks, and it took a long time in therapy for her to get back to normal. She couldn't imagine how much worse it would be for Charity.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I was actually going to ask about what I'd need to do if you got the job." Gabby clarified. "I couldn't help noticing the front door was a bit of a problem."

"Well it would be nice if the front door was a little wider." She replied, thinking about it. Gabby could tell by the tone in her voice she was disappointed. Obviously she had heard this question before. It had never occurred to Gabby before now, but thinking about it, she had to admit that being such a physical pastime, stores and venues dedicated to extreme sports didn't really prioritise the needs of the disabled. "I'd also need a cash register a little lower so I could use it, and a rail in the rest room. It's alright, I understand."

"You tried your best." Denise comforted her, before turning to take her out the store. Gabby rushed over, stopping them.

"Wait." She told them, before looking around at her 'staff'. Rad was over by the bikes, talking with some customers. Shane was running around to help, but she knew he wouldn't be there forever. He had already put his own commitments on hold for over a month to help her out. Hunter and Kelly would be going back to Blue Bay in a couple of days. The fact was that she needed staff. She had already taken a chance on Rad because of his knowledge of mechanics. Kelly had always told her that she valued staff that knew what they were talking about over those simply there to earn a few bucks. Gabby looked to her and let out a breath. "I can have the guy that fitted the shop come back and make a few alterations."

Charity and Denise just looked at each other a little stunned by this. Clearly Charity had been through the disappointment of being rejected because of her disability before. They weren't prepared for the possibility that someone would seriously consider making those changes just to hire her. Thinking about it, with the physical nature of action sports, she could imagine a few places thinking that a staff member in a wheelchair was hardly the image they wanted to promote.

"Are you serious?" Charity asked her. "I'd understand if you thought it would be too expensive or..."

"I'm a rider; I know absolutely nothing about skateboarding." She admitted, interrupting her. "You definitely seem to know what you're talking about. It'll really make all the difference when the skating crowd come in."

"You're actually giving me a job?" Charity gasped, her face lighting up in delight. Gabby could tell that her enthusiasm was genuine. The accident might have robbed her of her ability to take part in the sport she loved, but clearly she still loved it and followed it. She could imagine being part of a project like the new Storm Chargers would be exciting for her.

"How would you feel about beginning on Monday at nine?" Gabby asked her, extending a hand. "I think I could probably have those changes at least started by then."

"That would be amazing!" She yelled, shaking Gabby's hand excitedly. "You won't regret this, I promise!"

"Well feel free to take a look around and get an idea of the layout." Gabby told her. "I'll see you Monday."

As she went to look around, Denise approached Gabby smiling.

"Thank you so much for that." She told her. "You have no idea how tough it's been for her since the accident. She's been turned away from so many places..."

"Well I set up this place with the idea of bringing people together." Gabby told her.

"I haven't seen her this happy in ages." Denise stated. "You can't imagine how much this means to her."

"I think I have an idea." Gabby replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me I think I have a customer."


	34. Back to School

The rest of the summer went by incredibly quickly for the Rangers, everyone was so busy it seemed like the summer had barely started before fall came around.

RJ and Lily were never short of business at JKP. Normally summer was more steady than busy. Most of the local kids left town on holiday, but the tourists coming in usually kept them going. This year though was different. It quickly transpired that a lot of the kids and young adults who left town each year did so due to the lack of x-games facilities, and so many of them stayed home this year. Quite a few people came in from out of town too, and all of them brought their wallets and large appetites with them. Dom, Liv and Johnny were never short of shifts during the summer.

The Rock Porium also noticed an incredible rise in trade. Normally sales dropped off during the summer since all the kids left town, or spent all their time outdoors, meaning few were buying music, however she quickly noticed that the x-games crowd were more of a culture than merely sports fans. It passed through styles of dress, and even music. Flit was grateful for the extra shifts, since he and Michelle still hadn't gotten around to setting a date for the wedding yet, and they were busy putting aside funds for their wedding.

Gabby was delighted with how well things were going with the store. She had opened at exactly the right time, capitalising on the summer to get the kids used to making the skate park, motocross track and surfing beach part of their new routine. She had learned a lot from Kelly, and Shane was a great help while she and her new employees got up to speed.

Rad had been something of a pleasant surprise since she had hired him. Although his laid-back, borderline lackadaisical attitude and constant habit of referring to her and Charity as 'dudette' despite her explicit instruction not to irritating, he had proven himself to be a hard worker and capable staff member. It was as though someone flipped a switch in his brain any time he had a bike to work on, or a customer to talk to about bikes and instantly transformed him. For a while she had been annoyed when she constantly found him sitting around with his feet up, or doing nothing, but the way the workshop was always neat and organised, and the fact that she rarely found any of the repairs that needed done unfinished meant she quickly got the idea that he wasn't lazy. He was simply so good that he finished his work so quickly that he often had literally nothing to do. She ended up joyfully taking him off probation a few weeks into his employment.

Charity had been a complete godsend. She was easily the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable person she had met. When she was on shift, the shelves were always stacked, neat and tidy, and all the customers loved her. She found out very quickly that Shane hadn't exaggerated about her fame.

Despite the fact it had been a couple of years since the accident that had left her in a wheelchair, many of the skaters still recognised her, and she was always willing to talk to them, and even signed the occasional autograph. She had since told Gabby that a few stores had refused to hire her, and while they never gave her a reason to avoid lawsuits, she was confident that most of them did so because they felt seeing a disabled person was a bit of a downer. It might discourage customers, and more importantly for the younger ones, their parents, from buying things, being a reminder of how dangerous these sports could be.

In contrast though, Gabby found that it hadn't hurt business at all. If anything, a number of people admired the fact that Charity worked there. She had an intimate knowledge of the scene; the skaters all trusted her experience implicitly. It also had another impact that Gabby hadn't anticipated. Charity's involvement meant that many fans that had felt marginalised those who were disabled, now felt comfortable to follow the sports they loved. She also found out that while Charity had been learning to operate in a wheelchair, she had been good friends with a number of the deaf patients, and was well versed in sign language, opening up the whole experience to even more people. All in, the gamble of bringing the x-games to Ocean Bluff had indeed paid off, a fact both Gabby and her father were delighted about.

In the apartment over JKP, Lily was keeping an eye on David in his play pen while she looked over some accounts when Liv came into the room, groaning as she put her schoolbag on the table. She was a keen student, and loved her schoolwork, but she had to admit that the summer had gone by a little more quickly than she would have liked. Lily suppressed a laugh as she saw this reaction.

"The first day blues huh?" Lily asked her. "I remember them well."

"What would you know about it?" Liv groaned as she made her way to the kitchen, getting herself some cereal. "You went to Pai Zhua. You didn't have school."

"We studied just as hard as you." Lily reminded her.

"I can't believe summer's over already." She replied as she sat down, giving David a little wave as she did so. "It seems like we barely even got out of that place. Between work, training and driving lessons, I've had hardly any time."

"Don't remind me about the driving lessons." Lily giggled. "Your dad's still convinced he has white hairs from the time you ran that red light."

"It changed as I was going through!" Liv protested. Lily just put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look on the bright side; at least this time around you won't be the bottom of the totem pole." She reminded her. "Softmore year!"

"Yeah, I can't wait." She replied sarcastically. "We're still too young to get the respect of the seniors and we get twice the homework of last year."

"Oh stop complaining." Lily teased her. "You know as well as I do that once classes start you'll love it."

"I guess it would be pretty neat to get back into things." She commented. "I can't believe it'll be Donny's..."

"Mr. Weaver's!" Lily corrected her. Liv just nodded as she accepted that reminder. She had seen Donny and Fran around a few times during the summer, Fran especially since she was a regular at JKP. She had gotten into the habit of using their first names over the summer, and it would take a while to get back into the habit of using their surnames again in school.

"Mr. Weaver's first year as full time principal." Liv commented.

"So do you have your first schedule?" Lily asked her. Liv pulled it out, handing it to her to look at.

"You have driver's ed first period?" Lily asked her. "I'm sure RJ will be relieved."

"Would you stop bagging on my driving?" Liv replied with a little bit of a sulk. "I'm not that bad."

"Liv, the first time you took me out, you almost backed into..."

"It was an accident!" Liv complained.

"The restaurant!" Lily concluded. "It's a two storey building; it isn't that hard to miss."

Just before she could respond, Johnny came into the room, dumping his bag in the corner.

"Hi Lily, hey there little man!" He chimed in, reaching into the playpen and patting David on the head gently, getting a smile and a laugh in response. David was used to Johnny coming around, and he even seemed to have some idea that he meant a lot to his older sister. Johnny had started to make an effort to get to know the little guy, even getting him a little toy car for his birthday a while back. He came over to Liv, kissing her cheek. "Is there any chance of...?"

"You know where the kitchen is Johnny." Lily interrupted him. "Doesn't your uncle feed you?"

"If you ever tasted anything he makes you wouldn't ask." Johnny replied, getting himself some cereal. "Seriously, his idea of breakfast is an egg McMuffin or pop tarts."

"No wonder you eat here." Liv replied. "I mean, pop tarts are alright every now and again, but eating them every day, it's no wonder you'd get sick of them."

"I guess I can't complain. He lets me do my own thing." Johnny remarked with a shrug.

"Anyway Johnny, we should probably be going." Liv told him, gathering the last of her books and finishing her cereal. "I'd like to get there before the freshman hazing begins. We don't want to be mistaken for the newbies."

"That's a good point." Johnny mumbled through a mouthful as he shovelled his cereal away quickly, gulping it down. "RJ's still on for training tonight right?"

"He'll be waiting." Lily assured him. "See you later Johnny."

"See you Lily." He replied. "Have fun little man."

Meanwhile, over in Fran's house, she was just gathering the last of her materials together when Theo came in with the breakfast. Algie was lying in a cot in the corner.

"I think that's everything." She remarked as she packed the last box. Theo just gave a small laugh as he saw it.

"All what? Did you prepare your lesson plan for the next year?" He asked her.

"No, this is only the next couple of months." Fran told him. "Donny said he's got some kind of extra credit project planned for this year."

"Are you sure all this will fit in the car?" Theo asked her. "It looks like you'd need a u-haul."

"I'll manage." She told him, picking up the first box and taking it to the garage door. Theo took another and followed her. "I'm sure I could convince Johnny to give me a hand unloading all this stuff when I get there."

"Just don't work too hard." He told her. "Remember Michelle and Flit are coming around for dinner."

"Yeah, I remember." She responded. "I can't wait to get back to work. I know I've been doing lesson plans and stuff, but I've kind of missed the students."

"I know you have." Theo replied as they loaded their boxes into the trunk of the car. "I'll just remind you of this the next time you complain about the ELFs."

"ELFs?" Fran asked him. Theo just smirked.

"I heard one of my old grade school teachers call them that once." He informed her. "It stands for Evil Little Fu..."

"I get the idea." Fran interrupted. "I guess some of them can be a little like that at times."

Just then, her cell phone rang, and she pulled it out, answering it.

"Donny?" She asked him. "What are you calling for; I'll be at the school in..."

"I'm calling all the staff. I just wanted to let you know there's a staff meeting before first period." He informed her. "It should only take about ten minutes."

"Sure, I'll be there." She told him. "I just need to finish loading up."

"I'll catch you there Fran." He replied cheerfully, hanging up.

"It looks like I'll have to skip my second coffee." She told her husband. "Donny's having some kind of meeting before first period. I should be able to get all this into the classroom before then."

Theo kissed her softly.

"Just don't work too hard." Theo told her.

"I'll try not to." She assured him. "Somehow I get the feeling this is going to be a good year."

Over at Storm Chargers, Gabby came downstairs into the store, whistling cheerfully. It had been a couple of hours since Dom had gotten up to go to the temple to take his classes. It was an unfortunate part of his duties to the temple meant that living with his new wife meant he would have to get up at dawn to get to the temple before the first lessons. It was an adjustment, but they were starting to get used to their new routine.

Gabby stopped whistling as she heard a crash from the back room, and snapped around to look to the door. No one was meant to be in yet. As far as she knew, she was the only one in the building.

"Who's there?" She asked, beginning to make her way towards the door. She felt her heart beating a little faster as she approached the door, reaching under the counter and pulling out a set of nunchaka she kept there. She held them tightly as she approached the door. "Who's there, show yourself!"

She didn't get an answer as she got to the door. Grabbing the handle, she opened the door quietly, coming in to hear some tinny, screeching music, and someone singing out of tune. She came in, finding Rad kneeling by a bike with tools strewn around himself, and his t-shirt covered in oil. He was banging his head in time to his out of tune singing, and Gabby could see a cable trailing from his I-pod and realised he had his headphones in, so he couldn't hear her shouting. She just rolled her eyes and threw the nunchaka at him, hitting him on the shoulder. He pulled out his headphones, turning to look at her.

"Whoa, peace!" He called out.

"God damn it Rad, you gave me a heart attack!" She yelled at him. "I thought someone had broken in. You're not meant to be here for an hour!"

"Sorry dudette...I mean, boss." He replied, rubbing his shoulder where the weapon had hit him. "I just had a little project to work on. The big blonde dude let me in."

"That 'big blonde dude' is my husband, his name is Dom." She told him, as he stood up and stepping away. Her mouth hung open in disbelief as she saw what he was working on. "That's my bike!"

"Yeah, I..."

"Who the hell do you think you are taking my bike to pieces without asking?" She roared at him, looking over at it. The bike had been stripped virtually down to the frame, and by the looks of the parts on the floor, he had virtually taken the engine completely apart. "What the hell have you done!"

"Well, it was like I told Hunter..."

"You remember Hunter but you don't remember my husband?" She asked him incredulously.

"Of course I remember Hunter; he's been on the circuit for years." He replied. "Anyway as I told him, the engine was a little rough, the work I did on it was strictly a patch. Sooner or later it would need rebuilt."

He reached to the starter and cranked it up, starting the engine, at which it burst into life, purring, almost musically. He pulled back on the throttle a couple of times to rev it. Gabby could never remember hearing it sound so good.

"It's still a 125 since that's what you're used to, but I used a few tricks of the trade to give it a little TLC." He told her, shutting off the engine. "Without exaggeration, this thing will run like a dream. It's still tournament legal, but it's as tricked out as you can get before moving up a class."

"This is amazing." Gabby complimented him.

"I already put the money in the register for the parts I used." He assured her. "I know I'm not the easiest dude to get to like, but you've been pretty cool to me and given me a fair shot. I just wanted to say I appreciate it."

Gabby smiled at him, nodding in understanding.

"I was just going out for some donuts, do you want some?" She asked him.

"Sure, I'll..."

"You'll stay and clear this up and put the bike back together." Gabby replied. "Let me get the breakfast."

"Sure thing boss." He responded. "Sorry about scaring you, I just wanted it to be a surprise."

He looked to the floor and saw the nunchaka, realising that was what she had thrown at him and looked at her curiously as he picked it up.

"Ninja weapons?" He asked him. "What are you Bruce Lee?"

"Um...I just like action movies." She replied, taking it from him. "Some shop owners keep a gun under the register, some keep a baseball bat, and I keep this."

"I guess that's cool." He replied with a shrug. "If they have grape jelly, I'll have that. Otherwise, anything's cool."

"I'll remember that." She told him. "Thanks for the bike. I'll try it out later."

"You won't be disappointed." He told her. "I promise you that."


	35. The New School Year Begins

Liv and Johnny made their way into the school grounds just as all the other students started to gather ahead of their first day back following the holidays. The sun tans were already fading, and the usual complaints about school beginning. Johnny watched as the few students who had cars started to arrive.

"Just think, in a few months that could be us." He commented.

"We do kind of have to get licences first." Liv reminded him.

"Speak for yourself." He replied, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet, opening it to show her his licence. "I took the test about a week ago. It arrived in the post this morning."

"You never told me about that!" She shrieked. "How did you...?"

"I have had a fair bit of practice driving remember?" He interrupted her. "It only took me a few lessons to get back into the swing of things."

"Well since you have a licence..."

"Liv, you know it wouldn't be legal for me to give you lessons." He interrupted her again. "Besides, I saw the state RJ came home in after your last lesson. I'd like to live through softmore year."

"I can't help it if it's taking me a little longer to get the hang of it than you." She moaned as she looked around all the students congregating. "Not all of us started driving when we were 13."

Just then, Fran pulled up near them in her car. She smiled as she saw them.

"Hey, how are things?" She asked them. "Are you looking forward to first period?"

"Personally I'm just having fun watching all the freshmen wandering around looking all terrified and lost." Johnny told her, gesturing to the new students. "It's like watching Animal Planet. You know half these kids are going to end up getting hazed by the seniors before the day is over."

"Well just remember to be kind." Fran told him. "It wasn't that long ago you were in their position. It's tough being on the bottom rung of the ladder."

"I've noticed all the teachers are coming in early." Johnny stated. "I guess you would like a hand unloading the car."

"Johnny, you read my mind." She replied. "Let me just get to my parking spot. Mr. Weaver wants the teachers to meet up before first period. He said he has some ideas for changes this year."

"Well he certainly made some good changes last year." Liv commented. "If he keeps up the good work, I'm sure this year will be great."

Just as Fran pulled away, Johnny noticed a little commotion beginning to take place by the steps. He couldn't see or hear much, but he could tell that someone was definitely getting some hassle from one of the seniors.

"Johnny, it's the first day." Liv reminded him. "Don't get into trouble."

"I'll be fine Liv." He told her, but as he arrived, he found that the situation had resolved itself. He could see that a freshman girl, wearing dark glasses and carrying a white cane was standing in front of a senior student who was holding a hand over his cheek. He had blood on his fingers from a wound on his cheek, and glared at her angrily.

"You little bitch, I'm going to..."

"You're going to do what? Beat up a blind girl?" She asked him sarcastically. The senior looked around at all his friends gathered, realising she was right about his situation. He couldn't do anything to her in response. There was no way he would get away with striking back against her; he'd be suspended for sure, possibly even expelled. She smiled at him. "Just remember what they say about sticks and stones. You called me a name, but just remember. I always carry a stick."

As the senior turned and left sheepishly with as much dignity as he could muster, Johnny and Liv came over, finding another guy talking to her.

"Well so much for trying to help." Johnny commented. "Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry; I'm used to idiots like that." The girl replied, placing the tip of her cane back on the ground. "People see the stick and think I'm a charity case or a victim."

"Well you sure showed him." Liv replied, a little impressed, reaching out a hand and taking her hand, shaking it. "I'm Olivia, but everyone calls me Liv."

"Julie, Julie Kitchner." She replied with a little smile. "The big lummox with the attitude's my goofy big brother."

"Fred." He introduced himself, shaking Johnny's hand and then Liv's. "We just transferred here; we were looking around for the headmasters' office."

"Well I can take you there." Liv volunteered. "Johnny, go and find Mrs. Martin, you said you'd help her remember?"

"Right, I nearly forgot about that." Johnny replied. "Well I'll probably catch you around. I'll see you first period Liv."

He kissed her quickly, before running off. Fred and Julie followed Liv as she started to take them towards the office.

"I take it he's your boyfriend." Julie surmised with a little smile. Liv just nodded in response.

"He is." She replied. "So what year are you going into?"

"I'm just starting freshman year." Julie informed her. "Despite his appearance, Fred's just going into softmore."

"I look older than I am." Fred commented, putting his arm around his sister. "It's all the stress of having this little brat as a sister."

"Well I'm sure you're going to love it here." Liv assured them. "I'll show you around."

Over in Storm Chargers, Gabby was finishing talking to a customer about a helmet, while Rad was opening some boxes, checking the delivery that had arrived when Charity arrived, coming in the door with a large paper bag on her lap. Rad looked up from the delivery as he saw her, smiling.

"Hey, what's up?" He called out, seeing his co-worker arrive.

"Hi, sorry I was a little late." She replied as she came over to the counter, putting the paper bag on the counter. "Some guy parked in the spot Gabby reserved for me, so it took ages to get out the car."

"Dude, that sucks." He remarked.

"Yeah, people don't realise there are disabled parking zones for a reason." She muttered as she picked up a box and a packing knife, cutting open the tape. "A lot of people only see a parking spot ten feet closer to their destination and decide to save themselves a few precious seconds."

Gabby had just finished ringing up the sale of the helmet, placing it in the bag, before coming over.

"How's the delivery looking?" Gabby asked them. Rad just shrugged.

"It looks like most of it is here." He replied with a shrug. "It's mostly magazines and clothing..."

"Yeah, unfortunately we'll probably be getting another couple of large deliveries." Gabby responded. "There's a big triathlon event coming into town in a couple of weeks. I wanted to be prepared for some major sales."

Charity looked around as a car engine fired up, and she looked a little annoyed as she realised the customer Gabby had just dealt with had been in the parking spot that had been marked out for her. Rad seemed to notice this and get a little annoyed too.

"Can you believe the nerve of that jerk?" He asked her. "He parks in a disabled parking spot to go into an action sports shop?"

"It's like I said, some people are just inconsiderate." Charity replied, taking a stack of magazines onto her lap and making her way to the rack to begin stocking it.

"You know, I really don't think it'll need all three of us to re-stock." Rad commented. "There's no one in the store boss. Maybe you'd like to hit the track and try out those modifications I made."

"I'm your boss, I'm meant to be setting you an example." Gabby replied in a small laugh as she opened another box, finding t-shirts inside. "I don't really think I can exactly go running off to the track any time I feel like it."

"Come on Gabby, all the kids are back at school, it really doesn't take all three of us to mind the store." Charity told her. "Take a long break. Come back with the lunch in a couple of hours."

"Well I guess I have been looking forward to seeing if the bike runs as good as you claim." She said with a little smirk. "How does everyone feel about a KFC bucket?"

"That sounds pretty good." Charity replied. "We should have this done by the time you get back."

Back at the school, the first period was well underway. Fred and Liv were standing behind the safety line, watching the car racing around the course far faster than intended. Fred smiled as he saw the car being expertly swerved around a tight bend, missing every single cone.

"You weren't exaggerating when you said Johnny was good." Fred complimented him. "I think he's teaching the instructor a few things."

"He's just showing off." Liv muttered as he pulled up to the line, before reverse parking in between two cars. The other kids gave him a small applause as he got out of the car, closing the door behind him. The instructor appeared to almost be relieved as he got out of the passenger door.

"Alright, who's the next to volunteer?" He asked them. Fred took off his leather jacket and handed it to Johnny.

"I guess I could always give it a shot." Fred replied. "I might not tear up the course like Lewis Hamilton here, but I think I can put on a respectful showing for myself."

"Show us what you've got." The instructor replied, gesturing to the driver's door. Fred got in, giving Johnny a little smile as he did so. Liv just rolled her eyes.

"What is it with guys and competition?" She asked him.

"Trust me; this isn't going to be a competition." Johnny replied confidently as Fred pulled away, narrowly missing the first cone. "This is just for fun."

Coming up to lunch time, RJ was preparing some ingredients in the kitchen for the lunchtime rush when Donny showed up. RJ smiled as he saw him come in.

"I don't normally get orders like this from the school." He commented, picking up a large stack of boxes, checking the order. "Five meat supremes, two Soyrific Safari, three Tofu Supremes and four Thrilla Gorillas, and because the order was so large, I threw in four portions of garlic bread on the house."

"I thought it would be an idea to give the staff a little treat." He told him. "You know, it boosts morale a little for the start of the new term. I've also just told them I'm planning to implement a few more changes this year, but I'm sure you'll hear all about it from Liv."

"I'm sure I will." RJ replied with a little smile. "If the changes you made last year are anything to go by, I'm sure it'll make things interesting."

"I really hope so." He said with a smile. "Let's just say that there'll be a lot more extracurricular activities this year if everything goes well."

"I look forward to seeing what happens." RJ replied, handing over his order. "Enjoy the pizza."

"I'm sure we will." Donny assured him.

Back at the school, the kids were making their way to the canteen as lunch time came around. Johnny and Liv saw Julie in the queue, and came over with her brother.

"Would you like me to tell you what's there?" Johnny asked her. Julie just shook her head.

"My sense of smell is really good, I probably have a better idea what's on offer than you do." She replied. "For instance, I can tell you that the chef's been a little light on the spices with the curry."

"You can tell that?" Liv asked her. Johnny looked a little curiously and took in a deep sniff himself. Given his experience cooking, normally he had a really good idea what was in a dish by the aromas. He smiled a little as he realised she was right.

"She's good." Johnny complimented her. "It's not often someone beats me to the punch when it comes to identifying the ingredients in food."

"He's a great chef." Liv told them. "Dad owns the local pizza place. Johnny works in the kitchen all the time."

"I love the work." Johnny told them. "I was kind of hoping to go into the business myself one day."

"It sounds like a plan." Fred replied as he took a couple of hot dogs and put them on his tray. "I'm still not sure what I want to do after school."

"Well it's not like there's any great hurry. I know I'm still keeping my options open." Liv commented. "So how was your morning Julie?"

"It was...interesting." She commented. "I had Mrs. Martin's class first period, that was kind of interesting. Then we had history. Dr. Jennings was standing in for the regular teacher."

"He takes a bit of getting used to." Johnny laughed as they paid for their dinner and took a seat. "Do you remember when he was taking us through the duel scene in Romeo and Juliet and he was swinging that foil around?"

"How could I forget?" Liv laughed in response. "The entire front row of the class was terrified."

"No wonder if the teacher was swinging a sword around." Fred remarked as he pulled out his schedule. "Anyway, I've got a great afternoon ahead. I'm in shop class all afternoon."

"Johnny, aren't you in shop?" Liv asked him. "I took drama instead, but Johnny took shop."

"Yeah, I'm in shop." Johnny replied with a smile. "I'm really looking forward to it. Now I have my licence, I can concentrate on my project car..."

"You're building a set of wheels?" Fred asked him.

"I have a project car in the shop." He informed him. "It's a bit of a bucket right now, but I've got big plans to turn it into a monster."

"Boys and their cars." Liv groaned as Julie just shook her head. "I'll never know why they find them so fascinating."

"Somehow I doubt you'll be objecting when I get it running smoothly and can drive us places." Johnny replied.

"Listen, I don't have a project yet, and money's a little tight." Fred commented. "It's just us and mom at home. Would you mind if we teamed up and made it a joint project?"

"Not in the slightest." Johnny replied, shaking his hand. "It'll be good to have a second pair of hands working on it."

"So what do we have to work on?" Fred asked him.

"It's a Ford Firebird." He replied, pulling out a sheet of paper. "I had a few ideas of some of the customisations I would have liked to do, but if both of us work on it, I think we could make it a reality."

Fred let out a low whistle as he looked at the rough sketches Johnny had come up with.

"This looks like a pretty mean piece of machinery." He commented. Johnny just smiled at him.

"With these modifications, the damn thing should be just short of a rocket ship." Johnny assured him. "I know we haven't started yet, but I already came up with a name for it. I like to call it The Fury."

"The Fury?" Liv teased him. "That's the name you're giving it?"

"Somehow I didn't think 'the fluffy bunny' exactly fit the image I was going for." Johnny replied.

"The Fury. I like it." Fred replied with a smile. "When do we start?"


	36. The Project Begins

A/N: I'll be going on vacation from Monday, 23rd August, and will not be posting for a few days across that time (I'll be attending a certain convention.) I'll probably post another couple of chapters of my RPM fic, and maybe this one before I go. Posting will resume as normal in early September. Enjoy!

Fred and Johnny stood in the workshop as the shop teacher finished running through the usual boring safety procedures, staring at the car before them. As they were told they could begin, Fred finally spoke.

"Well, it's um...something." He said in a slightly strained voice. Johnny could see the forced smile on his face, and the tension in him as he stood before their project for the year. Johnny laughed.

"You can say it." Johnny told him. "You won't hurt my feelings; I know exactly what it is."

"It's a piece of shit." Fred replied, approaching it. When Donny had accepted the full-time job at the school, he had gifted this car to Johnny in recognition of his efforts to improve his grades. It had been the one he had used to get around when he first arrived. It was a Ford Firebird exactly as Johnny had told his new friend, but that was all that could really be said about it. Fred approached it, running a hand over the bodywork. It was a little rusty in places, and the aerial had been replaced with a coat hanger. It was filthy as a result of the months it had been sitting in storage. Wiping the window a little, he could see the interior was also in need of serious TLC. The seats were torn in places, and the padding was coming out. "Does it even work?"

"It used to get Mr. Weaver around." Johnny replied with a shrug as he pulled off his jacket, hanging it up in the corner, before taking a set of coveralls off another peg nearby. Fred did likewise. "It's no chick magnet right now, granted."

"It looks like it's held together with duct tape." Fred commented.

"Some of the upholstery is." Johnny told him as he popped the hood, allowing Fred to open it up and take a look inside. "We can just replace it. Here, hold this light."

"The engine looks like it should work, that's one thing at least." He said with a shrug.

"Don't get too attached, we're going to be replacing most of it." Johnny reminded him as he looked around. "The pistons, the fan...screw it, let's just take the whole damn thing out and start again."

"I guess we could clean the bodywork..."

"Forget it; some of it is completely rusted through." Johnny stated as he looked for the connectors that held the engine in place. "We can strip it."

"So we're getting rid of the body panels, the seats, the engine...are we actually keeping anything?" He asked.

"The chassis is in pretty good condition, and I kind of like the steering wheel." Johnny told him.

"I guess at least it has four wheels." Fred commented. Johnny just shook his head.

"Don't get too attached to those." He said with a smile.

"Johnny, maybe we should be a little less...ambitious." Fred suggested. "It is only a high school shop class."

"Exactly, and with these plans, it's an A for both of us for sure!" He stated. "We're allowed access to the tools, and some parts. My Uncle Vinnie owns a wreckers' yard, I salvage stuff there all the time!"

He picked up a crowbar and handed it to Fred, before picking one up himself.

"We have a year to work on this, and a near-inexhaustible supply of parts." Johnny reminded him. "The only limit is how much work we're willing to put in."

Fred grinned and went to the side, using the crowbar to pry off the front right body panel.

"The sooner we strip it down the sooner we can build it up again." Fred replied. "Let's get to work."

Over at Storm Chargers, Charity was just finishing stocking up the shelves while Rad was out on the lunch run. She had just finished putting the last of the equipment away when a couple of customers came into the store. It was a guy in his mid-twenties, with long, dark hair and a baggy t-shirt, and a girl, not much younger wearing a leather jacket. Charity turned towards them and made her way to the front of the store.

"Welcome to Storm Chargers, how may I help you?" She asked him. The guy looked to his girlfriend, before bending over a little to come down to her level.

"I was looking for some board wax." He told her, slowly and loudly. Charity forced herself to smile as she fought her instinct to point out that she was paraplegic, not deaf.

"Certainly, right this way sir." She told him, turning around and making her way to the aisle where the surfing equipment was kept, and showed him the rack. "We have a wide variety available. If you'd like I could take you through..."

"No offence sweetheart, but I think I know my way around board wax." He replied, taking a tin and handing it to her. "Here, run this up will you?"

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "We stock this because we stock a lot of this company's brands, but to be honest from what I've heard..."

"Listen sweetheart, I'm on the pro circuit. I think I know more about board wax than an armchair fan." He said derisively, causing his girlfriend to elicit a little snigger. "Just ring up the sale."

"Whatever you say." She replied as she made her way over to the counter. Rad walked into the store, carrying a large bag from the local Subway. He noticed the customers by the counter as Charity started to ring up the sale.

"That'll be 19.95." She told him. The guy reached into his pocket, pulling out a 20 and handed it to her.

"Keep the change sweetheart." He chuckled. "And in future, try saving your advice for something you know about. If I want to know where to get a kick-ass parking spot, I'll let you know."

"Hey!" Rad called out, slamming the bag onto the counter. "What's your problem man?"

"The girl here tried to give me advice on board wax." He said in a laugh. "Can you believe that? She tried to tell me, Rocco Nelson about board wax! I was a state champion!"

"Rocco Nelson?" Charity asked him, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, you were a state champion. A state Pee Wee champion! You haven't won a thing since 1999!"

He was about to answer, but Rad stood between them with a little smirk on his face.

"In fact, I've heard from my friends on the circuit that in the last four years you've been so wasted that you can barely stand on a board, never mind ride one." She remarked. "And you have the gall to ask me what I know?"

"Trust me man, this chick knows more about the x-games scene than you ever will." Rad stated confidently. "Now, apologise to her, take your crappy wax and get out."

Rocco was about to answer, but Rad just folded his arms defiantly in front of him and glared at him.

"What happens if I don't?" Rocco asked him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Me? I'm not going to do a thing dude, I don't believe in throwing hands with assholes that piss me off. Life's too short." He replied. "Of course, we'll just tell our boss what happened and you can get your board wax somewhere else. Have fun driving to Blue Bay every week."

"Presuming I don't call ahead and tell them what kind of jerk you are." Charity chipped in. "Have you heard of Kelly Bradley, formerly Kelly Holloway? How about Tori Hanson? Blake Bradley? I met them all back in the day, and they're all good friends. Good luck getting them to sell you anything if they find out what you said to me."

Rocco just looked a little sheepish as he heard this, and realised the error he had made. Because of Charity's disability, he had been dismissive of her knowledge of the subject, but clearly she did know what she was talking about. She was obviously aware of Rocco's standing in the surfing world, and listening to her talk, clearly she knew a lot of the players in the community. She had referenced Tori Hanson, a former champion and now one of the major names in custom surfboards among others, citing her as a personal friend. He turned to her and extended a hand her way.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Rad coughed.

"I didn't quite hear that." Rad stated.

"I'm sorry for what I said." Rocco reiterated a little louder. "It was disrespectful."

"Apology accepted." She told him a little gruffly, shaking his hand quickly. Rocco didn't say anything else, just taking his bag and leaving, his girlfriend not far behind him. Rad turned back to Charity.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Don't worry about it." She sighed, waving it off. "It wouldn't be the first time I've heard shit like that before."

"That doesn't mean you have to take it." He stated in response. "It's not right; you shouldn't have to put up with shit like that."

"If I talked back to everyone who said stuff to me because of this chair I'd be fighting every day of my life." She whispered as she looked away. "It's like you said to Rocco, life's too short to spend your time throwing hands with everyone that pisses you off."

Rad didn't know how to respond to that. He could see that Charity was indeed used to such behaviour. Almost everyone that came into the store loved her, and was well aware of her knowledge and experience. She was genuinely happy working there, and the customers didn't seem to notice or care about her wheelchair. If anything, many of them respected her courage in staying part of the scene despite no longer being able to participate. He reached to the bag on the counter and fished out her sub.

"Six inch chicken tikka with lettuce and onion wasn't it?" He asked her. She nodded and took the sub. "If you want to take this in the back and have a few minutes..."

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "As long as you got my coffee order right that is."

"Mocha latte with a shot of caramel syrup?" He asked, taking out another bag from a Starbucks. "Subway didn't have it, so I went to Starbucks on the way back."

"Wow, you remembered." She remarked.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked her.

"Well, it's just..." She tried to think how to say it diplomatically; the last thing she wanted was to hurt his feelings after he had stood up for her. "You do smoke a lot." He just laughed and shook his head.

"It's alright; you aren't the first person who's said something like that." He told her. "I know I talk a little weird, and I do smoke quite a bit. I know a lot of people don't really take me seriously. I guess a lot of that is my fault."

"I'm sorry." She replied.

"What for?" He asked her.

"I get so angry when people judge me because of the chair." She said honestly. "I guess I didn't really thing about the fact I was doing the same thing with you."

Just then, Gabby came in from the back, fixing her hair having just gotten changed out of her racing leathers, and back into her street clothing. She smiled as she came in.

"Rad, if I ever had any doubts about you, consider them well and truly kicked into touch." She announced happily. "The bike ran like a dream! Seriously, I doubt it ran this well straight out of the factory!"

"Glad I could help dud...er...I mean boss." He replied. Gabby just made her way to the counter, finding the bag and pulled out her lunch.

"Ham and turkey with tomato, salad and mayo." Rad rhymed off confidently. "Just like you wanted boss."

"Great, I'm starving after that ride." She responded. "So did anything happen while I was away?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle." Charity assured her. "It's been pretty quiet."

"Alright then, I guess it's time for me to take care of some books." She told them, taking her lunch and heading for the door to her apartment. "You know where I am if I'm needed."

Back at the High School, an impressive collection of body parts was quickly piling up as Johnny and Fred stripped the car down to the frame in record time. Johnny looked to Fred a little impressed as he removed the last panel.

"You know your way around a car." He complimented him.

"I've taken a look at the odd vehicle in my time." Fred assured him. "My mom has the mechanical ability of a baboon. I've been doing all the repairs around the house and on the cars for years."

"What about your dad?" Johnny asked him.

"He split once they found out Julie was blind." He answered him sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Johnny replied. "Um...if you don't mind me asking, how did Julie become...you know..."

"Blind?" He asked. "You don't have to worry; you are allowed to say it."

He put the last panel on a trolley, and Johnny joined him in helping to take it out to the disposal area.

"She didn't become blind, she was born without retinas." Fred informed him. "She's always been blind."

They started loading the panels into dumpsters to be collected as they continued to talk.

"So what are we doing first?" Fred asked him. "I mean, we have basically stripped the thing naked."

"Well I was thinking of checking out the chassis." Johnny told him. "It's in pretty good shape, but I was thinking of adding a roll cage to the frame."

"A roll cage?" Fred asked him. "Don't you think that's a bit overkill?"

"Not really." Johnny said with a shrug. "Have you seen the way some of the idiots drive around here? Trust me, that cage could save someone's life some day."

"Well I don't know about you, but I don't plan on crashing." Fred stated honestly.

"Who does?" Johnny asked him in response. "I figure if we sort out the frame first and get it ready, that'll give us a week or two of relatively simple work, just some basic welding. That way we'll be ready for the real fun when we start on the engine."

"Hey, I'll trust your judgement." Fred stated. "You're the mechanic, I'm just a tinkerer."

"Anyway, we've got a few minutes left before we have to clean up." Johnny told him. "Let's take a look at that frame."


	37. Scary Times at Storm Chargers

As the weekend finally arrived, Johnny and Liv were just finishing up training with RJ, ahead of the lunch rush. RJ called them both to stop sparring as he noted the time, calling them both to attention before him.

"You're both coming along really well." RJ complimented them. "I don't know if I have much more to teach you. It won't be long before I'm calling the other masters to see who will take your training further."

Johnny and Liv looked to each other and smiled, delighted to hear him say this. While they both loved training under RJ, they knew it was common for Pai Zhuq students to seek training in another style after they had been training for a while. RJ was an excellent teacher, and they were keen students, advancing quickly to the point RJ was comfortable to suggest this course of action.

"Do you really mean that?" Johnny asked him.

"Have I ever said anything I didn't mean?" He asked them as Lily came in, wearing her old JKP uniform. It was a little unusual to see her in that uniform, Lily had for the most part moved into the business side of things since David had been born. On this day though, she was once again going to be serving in the restaurant. They had opted to give Liv and Johnny the night off to show their new friends around town.

"You two better get washed up." Lily told them. "Your friends will be here soon."

"Ah yes, the famous Fred and Julie, I'm looking forward to meeting them." RJ commented with a smile. "What do you have planned?"

"We were just going to show them around for a while, show them a few of the local areas of interest..."

"Not anywhere too interesting I hope." RJ interrupted his adopted daughter. "I know you like them, but we have kept the existence of Pai Zhuq secret for 10,000 years for a reason you know."

"What do you take us for? Of course we know to keep quiet about that." Johnny assured him. "We figured we'd take them to the Rock Porium, then maybe Casey's gym and eventually to the mall."

"Thinking about it there really aren't many sites of interest." Liv remarked, thinking about it. "Anyway, time for my shower."

"I'll be joining you." Johnny stated, only to quickly hold up a hand as he realised what he had said. "As in, I will also have a shower, though obviously in one of the many en-suites in the place."

"Nice save Johnny." RJ told him. "You can use Casey's old room."

As they went to get ready, Lily wrapped her arms around RJ, smiling.

"I bet it's good to know you still scare the boyfriend." She chuckled.

"It definitely is." He assured her. "It's also good to see you back in the old uniform. It reminds me a lot of some of the old days."

Lily just punched him playfully, before turning to go down to the restaurant.

"I've already agreed to help tonight, but if you call me old again, you're really for it." She warned him. "Anyway, get cleaned up. The lunch rush will be starting any time now."

Meanwhile, outside, Fred was walking with Julie along the street, in search of the address Johnny and Liv had given him. Julie just let out a little groan as she started to get frustrated.

"I'm the one that's blind you know." She said sarcastically. "You have no idea where we're going do you?"

"All the streets look the same." He told her. "These directions..."

"I seriously doubt Liv and Johnny wrote 'walk around in a big circle'." She interrupted him. "We've taken four ninety degree left turns, which means we're back where we started."

He looked around, and groaned as he noticed the book store they had passed almost ten minutes ago. She was right, they had indeed walked around in a circle.

"Maybe we should ask someone." She suggested. "Clearly we'll starve to death by the time you find it."

"Excuse me, could you tell us where Jungle Karma Pizza is?" Fred asked a random stranger as he walked past. The blonde man just opened his jacket, showing him a JKP t-shirt.

"I'm just heading there for my shift." Dom informed him. "I'll show you the way, just follow me."

"Thanks, we'd probably be back here in about ten minutes if you hadn't shown up." Julie replied, drawing Dom's attention to her. "We're meant to be meeting some friends there."

"You mean Johnny and Liv right?" Dom asked them. "Yeah, they said something about you coming around. I guess that makes you Julie right?"

"What gave me away?" She asked with a sarcastic smile as she tapped her cane on the ground. She could hear a slight shuffling of feet, and a deep sigh. She hated the way a lot of people felt awkward around her because of her disability, but at the same time, she occasionally found it a little funny the way she could make people squirm by drawing attention to it. As Dom shook her hand and spoke again, she could detect the subtle difference in his tone that indicated he felt bad about the fact he recognised her simply because Liv had mentioned she was blind.

"I'm Dom." He introduced himself, before turning to Fred and shaking his hand as well.

"Fred." Her brother answered. "Thanks, we got a little lost."

"I don't know how, it's only on the next street." Dom answered, before turning and gently taking Julie's arm. "Um...would you like me to lead you there?"

"That would be fine." She replied, hooking her arm in his. She let out a little whistle. "Wow, big arms. You're pretty big."

"I like to stay in shape." He said, smiling at the compliment. He felt Julie stroking his fingers with hers, and a slight slip in her smile as she felt his wedding ring. "My wife seems to like it."

"I'll bet she does." Julie replied, straightening her sunglasses.

"Anyway, this is the final stop." He told them, opening the door. "Welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza."

Lily was already in the restaurant, setting up and looked up to see them. She came over smiling.

"Hi, I'm Lily..."

"Liv's mom?" Julie asked her. Lily just smiled as she heard her ask.

"That's right, I run this place with my husband, you'll meet him shortly."

She picked up a menu and handed it to Julie, who seemed to have a curious look on her face.

"I had an accident a couple of years ago. I lost my eyesight for two weeks." She told her. "Since then, I insisted that any time we run the menus, the printers make them with a Braille imprint."

Julie smiled as she ran her fingers across it, realising Lily was telling the truth. She was used to having her mother or her brother reading menus to her, so it was refreshing to have somewhere that did that for her.

"Would you like me to take you to a booth, or can you make your own way?" Lily asked her, wanting to give her the option and not patronise her. Julie nodded.

"It's alright, just tell me where it is." She replied.

"Turn to your left; it's about eight feet straight ahead. It's a fixed booth, so you should find it pretty easily with your cane." She informed her. "Liv and Johnny are just running a couple of minutes behind; I'll take your order in a couple of minutes. It's all on the house of course."

"Thank you Mrs. James." Johnny replied as they made their way over. "It's a nice place."

"We try." She chimed in cheerfully as she left.

Over in Storm Chargers, Rad was busy working on a bike in the back when Charity came in, noting that he was working hard. She laughed as he swore loudly, throwing a wrench aside.

"I thought this asshole was meant to be a pro rider." He complained. "This heap looks like it should be on the scrap heap!"

"How long has it been since you last had a break?" She chuckled as she noted the uncharacteristic temper tantrum. Rad just picked up a rag and wiped off his hands as he turned back towards her.

"Too long if this joker expects me to get this thing running again." He grumbled. "Seriously, I could build a bike from spares for less than it would take to get this thing back to grade."

"Is it really that bad?" She asked as she came over, stopping a little way from him. "He said he had been doing races for a while."

"I can see why he lost." Rad responded. "Seriously, my recommendation would be take it to a scrap yard. Maybe he'll get ten bucks for it."

"Well if anyone can fix it you can." She assured him. Just then, she heard a bell indicating that a customer had just come in. "If you'll excuse me, someone has to make an appearance out front."

Charity turned around and wheeled her way back into the shop to see if she could help the customer. She returned to find a couple of guys in the store, wearing jeans and denim jackets. One of them made his way to the back of the store, looking around while the other approached the desk.

"Can I help you with anything?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you had any applications for the Reefside Motocross Tournament in a couple of weeks."

"You're cutting it a little fine aren't you?" She asked him. "I think I saw one in the drawer, let me get it for you."

As she made her way to the desk, she noticed the guy in the back taking a long, deliberate look around the store. She noticed a couple of subtle shifts as he noticed the video cameras, and immediately got the impression he was up to no good. At best they were there to case the joint for another time. At worst, she was in very real danger. She got the application out the desk, simply hoping that it was the former. However, as she looked up, she found herself looking down the barrel of a sawn-off shotgun.

"Alright, keep your hands where I can see them." He warned her. Charity did as she was told, hoping that the whole incident would be over with quickly. "Where's the videotape?"

"The machine's behind the counter." She informed him as he came around. "It's down there."

The robber went where she indicated, and removed the tape to ensure there was no footage of the robbery. He then nodded in the direction of the register.

"Open it!" He barked.

"I can't." She told him.

"How do you do sales then?" He roared, cocking the hammer.

"I'm paraplegic genius!" She snapped back. "You told me to keep my hands up. If I do that, I can't work the wheelchair can I?"

The robber grabbed her chair roughly and shoved her in front of the register, before pointing the gun at her again.

"Open it!" He warned her. Charity hit a key and opened the till, at which he started to pull out money and stuff it into his pocket. He pulled out the drawer, checking under it, before throwing it aside and pointing the gun at her again. "Where's the rest?"

"That's all there is, we only keep a 500 dollar float." She informed him. "Once the cash gets over a thousand, we drop it in the safe."

"Then where's the safe?" He asked her.

"It's in the back, but I can't open it!" She screamed, hoping to get him to just take what he had and leave. "I don't have the code!"

"Is anyone else here?" He asked. "Frank, check the back!"

"Only the manager has the over-ride code and she's out for the day." She informed him. "Please, that's all I can give you. Just take it and go."

The robber grabbed her wheelchair and overturned it, dumping her on the floor in frustration. He turned towards the back room as he heard a commotion, before rushing in. Charity slowly started to turn herself and crawl back towards the chair as she heard a gunshot go off.

"Rad!" She screamed as the horrible thought occurred to her. Moments later, both men ran from the back room, straight past her and left. Charity struggled to right her chair as thoughts ran though her mind about what might have happened. She fought back tears as she dragged herself off the floor and back into the chair before heading into the back. "Rad!"

As she arrived, she saw the bike he was working on had been overturned, and there were obvious signs of a struggle. A cardboard box had been shredded, most likely by a shotgun blast. She made her way over, looking around for signs of Rad, or signs of blood. She shrieked as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You called?" Rad asked her with his usual casual drawl. She smacked him in the chest with a fist.

"Damn it Rad, I thought you were dead!" She snapped at him. "I heard the gun go off..."

"Oh, you mean this?" He asked her, holding up a shotgun. "Yeah, that guy tried to use it, but as you can see this fine ass is still free of buckshot."

"You took it off him?" She asked in disbelief.

"Let's just say I think it'll be a while before those assholes think about coming back." He told her. He pointed to some cash on the floor. "They decided to be somewhere else."

Charity grabbed his shirt and pulled him down, before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"They had guns Rad, they could have killed you!" She yelled, releasing him a little to look into his face. "If someone pulls a gun, you give them what they want! Don't ever do something that stupid again; you scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry I scared you." He told her, hugging her again. He noticed a small flame in a pile of rags behind her that she obviously hadn't seen. He made a small hand gesture, at which it reduced, and finally died, as though snuffed out by an unseen hand. "I won't do it again, but seriously, you worry too much."


	38. Rad's Secret

Gabby got back to Storm Chargers, finding a patrol car outside the building. She rushed inside to find the officers talking to Rad and Charity, taking statements.

"So tell us what happened in the store room." The cop asked Rad.

"I was like...working on a bike when I heard something gnarly was going down in the store." He told them. "I made my way to the door, and some guy came in with a shotgun. I managed to get the drop on him and took the gun from him."

"What's going on here?" Gabby asked, interrupting the questioning.

"Are you the owner?" He asked her.

"Gabby Hargan." She replied, looking to Rad. "What happened here?"

"A couple of guys tried to rob the store." Charity told her. "They got away with some change, but they dropped most of it when they ran off."

"They ran off?" Gabby asked in shock. She felt badly about the fact she hadn't been there to protect them. With her training, she was sure that she could have stopped them from harming her employees. She was surprised to hear that they had left without the money though. "What happened?"

"I managed to get the gun from one of them." Rad informed her. "That reminds me, it's in the back. I figured you might be able to get prints from it or something."

"We'll need you to come to the station..."

"My prints are already on the system." He interrupted the cop. He looked to Gabby. "I had a little thing involving a spliff a couple of years back."

"Is there a number where we can contact you if we need to talk to you again?" The cop asked him. Rad got a pen and wrote down a number.

"That's my cell." He replied, handing it to the cop.

"Is that everything?" Gabby asked him.

"We'll probably need to ask follow up questions, but that should be enough for us to go on." The other cop replied, coming in from the back with the gun. "We'll let you know if we find them."

With that, they both left. Gabby looked to Charity.

"Are both of you alright?" She asked. Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine." Charity assured her. "I'm a little bruised up from when they shoved me over and I could really use a drink, but other than that I'm fine."

"I'm five by five dud...boss." Rad answered with a smile. Gabby grabbed him and took him aside.

"You took them on?" She asked him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I managed to get a gun." He told her. "The other guy ran off as soon as he saw I had it."

"They were armed Rad!" Gabby reminded him. "They had guns! They could have killed you! They could have killed Charity! Do you really think that was worth a couple of hundred bucks?"

"Nothing happened boss." He told her. "I got the gun, and..."

"I heard a shot." Charity informed her. Gabby rushed into the back, seeing where the shot had ripped through a box, spilling packing beans on the floor. She turned back to Rad. "Please tell me that was you."

"Actually...that was the other guy." Rad informed her. "He took a shot and missed."

Gabby grabbed him, pulling him out of earshot of Charity and slammed the door behind him, glaring at him angrily.

"Listen, I know I get irritated by a lot of the stupid crap you do, but that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of ANYONE doing!" She snapped at him. "At that range if he'd hit you, he'd have taken your head off!"

"He missed." He reminded her. Gabby just shoved him against a wall, staring straight into his eyes.

"If you ever do something that stupid again, I'll kick your butt out of here myself!" She assured him. "Get Charity home. I'll lock up."

Rad just shook his head and left to do as his boss had told him. He really didn't need to get into any more trouble. As he left, Gabby suddenly noticed something, a distinct smell of burning. She looked around, finding the pile of rags in the corner and inspected them, finding them charred and blackened, but they weren't wet. It was as though they had caught light, and then the flames simply went out without any noticeable attempt to extinguish them. She looked to the door curiously. Rad hadn't said anything about a fire to the cops. She had no idea what had happened in that storage room, but she sure as hell wanted to find out.

Over in JKP, Liv, Johnny, Fred and Julie were laughing and joking as Lily arrived with their order.

"Here you go, one extra large pizza with everything." She chimed in.

"It smells great." Julie commented. "Thanks for this Mrs. James..."

"Please, call me Lily." She replied. "So, how are you finding Ocean Bluff so far?"

"It's definitely a nice town." Fred commented. "We've not had too many problems. Everyone's pretty nice for the most part."

"Mom seems to enjoy her new job." Julie chipped in. "I think we're going to like it here."

"Well it is a nice town." Lily told them. "I remember when I first got here. I was a little scared, but I settled in no problem."

"Of course she had a little help in that department." RJ remarked as he came over, wrapping his arms around his wife and kissing her neck. Liv just screwed up her face.

"Dad, seriously do you have to?" She whined. RJ just laughed.

"I'm sorry; I can't help it if your mom's irresistible." He commented. "Anyway, we should probably leave you kids to it. Have fun!"

Julie leaned across the table to Liv, clearly a little curious.

"Sorry to ask, but your mom and Dad don't seem that old." She commented.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Liv assured her warmly. "They adopted me. I came to live with them when I was going through some bad stuff, and they ended up adopting me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Fred replied sympathetically. "Not getting adopted, the fact you went through some bad stuff."

"Well I'm through it now." Liv assured them. "Now I have a great home, pretty cool parents, and a baby brother that's just adorable."

"Anyway, we should probably eat this stuff up before it gets cold." Johnny told them. "Maybe some time I'll get a chance to cook for you."

"We'd like that." Julie told him, feeling around and finding a slice. She picked it up and took a bite. "So what are we doing tonight?"

In another part of town, Rad arrived home, finding that his mom was out for the evening. It was her bingo night, and she usually went to a restaurant with her friends before it began.

Going into the fridge to look for something to eat, he found a Tupperware dish filled with some form of casserole. One of his mom's annoying habits was that she never labelled anything in her fridge or her freezer, making eating anything something of a gamble. It was entirely possible to find what appeared to be mince, only to find out it was chilli. As he chose one, and went to the microwave, he heard a noise in the living room. He switched on the microwave, before heading through.

"Mom?" He asked. "Are you still here?"

As he rounded the door, a foot flew up to face height, which he barely managed to block. He did a cartwheel into the middle of the room to get space and faced his attacker. It was a figure dressed all in black, with a black ski mask.

"You so picked the wrong house dude." He stated flatly. "I'm gonna give you one chance to walk out of here before I kick your ass."

The attacker leapt to the attack, narrowly missing with a kick as Rad ducked, before retaliating with a kick of his own, hitting his attacker in the abdomen, staggering him. Rad rushed him with a series of punches, which the attacker blocked, before throwing him across the room.

Rad performed a strange motion with his hands, at which they erupted into flames, and a fireball formed in the air. He launched it at his attacker, only for him to respond by calling forth an animal spirit, a hummingbird to dash it aside, sending it into the TV, causing it to explode.

"Aw, man my mom's gonna kill me!" He moaned. Gabby pulled off her mask, looking at her employee.

"Sorry about that, I'll replace it." She assured him. "I just needed to be sure that I really had a ninja working for me before I asked."

"Wait...you?" He asked. "I guess you have a secret of your own."

"I'm Pai Zhuq." She informed him, knowing now that it was safe to speak freely. "From the way you fight, you're clearly a ninja, but I'm having trouble placing the academy."

"That's because there isn't one. It was destroyed centuries ago by an evil Ninja named Kanoi." He informed her. "One of the sensei survived, he was my ancestor. Ever since my style's been taught only in the family. My Gramps taught me."

"What style?" Gabby asked him.

"I'm the last of the Fire Ninjas." He declared.


	39. Johnny and Liv's New Masters

It was nearing the end of the school day as Fred and Johnny worked on their project car, "The Fury as they had dubbed it. Despite his initial scepticism, Fred had to admit, the frame they had stripped it back to, little more than a chassis and a roll cage, was beginning to take shape and look a little like a car. Johnny shut off his welding torch and pulled up his mask.

"Are you sure your uncle's cool with us foraging in his yard?" Fred asked him.

"Please, he doesn't even sell a tenth of the stuff he harvests." Johnny assured him. "If we spend a day on it, we'll get the parts we need inside a weekend."

"Jeez, you make it sound like we're creating a fighter jet or something." Fred scoffed. Johnny just smiled.

"Believe me, once we're done, this thing will practically fly." Johnny replied confidently. Just then, he noticed Liv and Julie standing in the doorway. "This is a nice surprise."

"This is home time." Julie told them, wrinkling her nose. "Jeez, did you have to use so much solder?"

"For this roll cage we did." Johnny replied proudly, patting their creation. "This thing is practically a tank on wheels."

"You do realise this is just a project car right?" Liv laughed, kissing her boyfriend softly.

"That doesn't mean we can't have some pride in our work." Fred chipped in. "I'd bet by the time we finish this, it'll be the fastest, most badass thing on wheels this town has ever seen!"

"Well just remember that you have other classes too." Julie reminded him.

"Just because you get straight A's doesn't mean you can lecture me." Fred teased her.

"The fact at least two of my teachers are talking about advancing me a year gives me some bragging rights." She shot back. Liv nodded as she put an arm around her friend.

"Mrs. Martin has suggested she might be ready to move up to our year." Liv told them proudly. "She might end up in our class pretty soon."

"Let me guess, the other one is your history teacher Professor Butler." Fred sighed. Julie just shrugged.

"What can I say, I love history." She replied. Fred came over to her, only to laugh and hug her, kissing the top of her head.

"Mom's going to flip out when she hears that." He stated happily. "You really are the brains of the family."

"It's not like I have much competition." She taunted him. "Anyway, we should really be getting home. Mom's making meatloaf."

"Well that's always worth rushing home for." Fred agreed. "Come on Johnny, it's time we were cleaning up."

"Yeah, remember we have that appointment with my uncle." Liv reminded him. Julie looked a little confused.

"Your Uncle?" She asked.

"RJ's dad." Liv explained as she picked up some tools to help clear up. "He hates being called Grandpa, it makes him feel old."

"He is old." Johnny sniggered.

"Try telling him that tonight." Liv challenged him. "Let's see how far that gets you."

Over at Storm Chargers, Gabby had just finished ringing up a sale when she noticed the time. Making her way over to Rad, she gave him a gentle nudge.

"Sorry, but it's almost time I was going." She reminded him. "Are you sure you can lock up?"

"If I can rebuild that pile of crap Lewis calls a bike, I can handle just about anything." He assured her. Gabby was a little more confident in his abilities now that she knew his secret. When she had lived in Blue Bay Harbour, most of her closest friends had been ninjas, so she had a good grasp of what it meant to achieve his level of mastery of his art. Far from the airheaded pot head she thought she had hired at first, clearly there was a lot more to him when he decided to apply himself. Gabby followed his gaze, noticing that he was watching Charity helping a customer with motocross armour.

"Have you ever thought about asking her out?" Gabby asked him. He just shook his head.

"She'd never go for it." He sighed. "She's way too smart to get involved with someone like me."

"Well that's an interesting approach." Gabby replied, punching his shoulder gently. "Skip the asking and rejection and go straight to feeling sorry for yourself. That's real attractive."

"Come on, she's way out of my league!" He protested. Gabby just shrugged.

"Well it's up to you." She commented, gathering up her jacket. "Of course if you change your mind, she did mention she likes action films, and The Expendables is playing at the theatre. It's just a thought."

With that, Gabby pulled on her jacket and left, smiling to herself. She knew what she was going to do now was important, but she had a feeling that she was on to something with Charity and Rad. She had a feeling that he was wrong, and perhaps the admiration was not one-sided.

Over at JKP, RJ was finishing clearing the main room of the apartment of furniture for the night ahead when Casey and Camille arrived. Casey had Holly by the hand, guiding her into the apartment.

"David's in his room. Would you like to go and play with him?" Lily told her. Holly screeched as she ran to the bedroom in search of her playmate. "We're expecting the others..."

"Right about now." Jarrod assured her as he landed on the floor, having entered through the skylight, causing everyone to jump. Dom landed not far from him, followed by Swoop. "Sorry, we couldn't resist."

"Well we could." Finn answered as he and Phant climbed the stairs. "Being a master doesn't mean you need to be overly dramatic."

"Come on Finn, it's about the only fun I still get." Swoop laughed. "When did you become boring?"

"When I had a grandson and got married again." He replied. "So we're just waiting..."

"Sorry we're late." Fran chipped in as she arrived with Theo, holding Algie in her arms. She handed him to Theo. "The other kids are in David's room right?"

"Put him through." Lily replied, nodding in response. "Good to see you Fran."

"It's Master Vulpes today isn't it?" Fran corrected her. Just then, Johnny and Liv came in, finding all the masters before them. They all lined up, at which RJ took a step forward. He gestured to a mark on the mats.

"Please take your position." He told them. Liv and Johnny did as they were told. RJ approached his adopted daughter first.

"Liv, you are fast, agile, graceful and persistent." He told her. "It is for this reason that the other masters and I feel that you would benefit most from training under Master Trochilidae."

Gabby stepped forward, nodding as she did so. Part of her duty as a master was to get the next generation ready for a time the masters weren't around. RJ went next to Johnny.

"Johnny, you are strong, stubborn, resolute and more than anything tougher than anyone I've ever met." He told him. "However, you are also fast, and your power is a dynamic one. It is for this reason, we feel your training would benefit most under Master Tusk."

Dom took a step forward at his name. Johnny didn't smile, he merely nodded. As much as he liked Dom, and thought of him as a friend, he knew he would not be an easy teacher. Dom's style was a very brutal and direct one, much like his own.

"Thank you." He replied. Gabby and Dom both took a step back into line.

"From this day on, your training intensifies." RJ warned them. "We all wish you well."


	40. Preparing for the Weekend

Rad was in the back room of Storm Chargers, working hard on a number of bikes that had come into the shop recently. Since the re-opening of the motocross track full-time, and the creation of the new skate park, Ocean Bluff was quickly gaining a reputation as a major site for extreme sports, rivalling that of even Blue Bay Harbour. Some major teams had been through the area to check it out; there had even been major inquiries from the directors of some video and cable networks and tournament organisers looking for prospective new sites for competitions.

When an energy drinks company had opted to hold an Ironman Tournament to advertise the launch of a new product, they had considered many different sites, right across the entire country, and had after a long deliberation had settled on Ocean Bluff. It was something of a shock result, but the company had explained that the fresh, unique environment and the reputation of it as a young, growing venue was exactly what they were looking for to represent their new product.

Gabby was over the moon at the announcement. They were still in their first year, still in something of a shaky position where anything could either carry them through to the next, or force them to shut their doors, and yet with an opportunity like this, it was entirely possible that the exposure would be just what they needed to tip things over the edge and put Storm Chargers Ocean Bluff and the Ocean Bluff X-Games scene on the map. It might be a small tournament, but it would be televised coast-to-coast, and that meant that everyone else would sit up and take notice.

Since the announcement, the store had already noticed a marked increase in business as the locals made preparations for the event. Swimwear, safety equipment, skateboards, everything had been going like hot cakes as the locals ensured they had the best equipment and had time to break it in. Casey had told her that his gym was packed virtually from the moment it opened to the moment it closed as they worked hard to get ready. Rad's reputation as one of the best mechanics in the business also meant that almost every bike in town had been booked in for a service and tune up.

Gabby came into the room, and handed him a bottle of Gatorade. He smiled as he accepted it, putting down his socket wrench.

"How's it going?" She asked him.

"Twelve down, another 27 to go." He answered as he took a drink. "I ended up having to hand out tickets and take phone numbers so I could get people to pick up their bikes when they're done. We just don't have room for them all."

"It's hard to believe so many people are competing." Gabby commented. "I mean, it's not a huge tournament, but Charity's getting applications from all over the country!"

"People are always keen to see something new." He reminded her. "I saw a few of the applications myself. Some of the kids involved are real prospects. You can bet a lot of the big teams will be watching looking for talent."

"I'm just sorry I have to leave the two of you alone this weekend." Gabby told him. "If this trip wasn't so important..."

"Is this a Pai Zhuq thing?" He asked her. Since she had discovered Rad's secret, she had also revealed her own secret. Being a ninja, he knew a little about Pai Zhuq, since the two organisations had crossed paths and co-operated in the past. His father had told him about that when he trained him, though of course, since no one knew that any fire ninjas still existed, it had been some time since there had been any such co-operation between their respective organisations. Gabby nodded.

"I've got a student." She informed him. "Dom and I are going camping in the woods to begin their training."

"Well I'm sure they'll be in good hands." He replied with a little grin. "You don't need to worry about the store. I'm sure there'll be nothing Charity and I can't handle."

"You know, since you are both going to be alone the whole weekend, maybe..."

"Boss, I'm cool with you knowing about me, I'm not quite so cool with you trying to set us up." Rad interrupted her.

"Come on, nothing's going to happen if you don't say anything." Gabby assured him. "Maybe..."

"Look, I like working here, and so does she." He interjected as he put the bottle on the table and started to work on the bike again. "I don't want to end up having to quit because everything gets all awkward when she knocks me back."

"Well, if I can't convince you..."

"Trust me you can't." He told her. Gabby just shrugged.

"Well I think it's a shame, but alright, I'll stop trying to push you into asking her out." Gabby assured him.

"Thanks." He replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be servicing bikes most of the week if I don't get back to this."

"I need to run today's takings down to the bank anyway." Gabby responded, showing him the bag. "I'll leave you to it."

As she was heading through the store, she noticed Charity checking up the computer website to check on the applications. The store had been virtually cleaned out by the locals, and so they were really waiting on the mail order customers, and of course, all the last minute business they'd get when the visiting competitors would be arriving the following week. Right now, she was spending most of her time in communication with the tournament organisers to sort out details of the applicants, and the local council to check up on the routes that would be shut off for the running portion of the event.

"Charity, I'm just going to the bank." Gabby announced, causing her to jump a little, and hit a key on the keyboard, pulling down a web page she was looking at, before looking at her. "How are arrangements going for the tournament?"

"Oh, well, so far everything's going well." Charity replied. "We've taken most of the route through the woods and mountains, but to get the full distance we're going to have to go through some streets. The Northern Mall has already agreed to cordon off a route around the perimeter and through the middle, but we're still ironing out the details of how we're going to get from there to the beach for the swimming portion."

"Well if anyone can convince them you can." Gabby responded. Seeing the way Charity was acting, Gabby couldn't help but reach across and hit the keyboard, pulling up the page Charity was looking at. She smiled.

"The horror movie film festival?" Gabby asked her. "I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff."

"As you may have noticed, I've never really been much of a girlie girl." She replied sheepishly, closing down the web page. "Soppy romances and musicals don't do it for me, but a serial killer with a bloody machete and I'm sold. Sorry, I know I shouldn't use the net for personal..."

"Hey, I'm not worried about that." Gabby assured her. "I mean, if you spend every minute of the day on Youtube or Facebook instead of helping customers we'd have words, but I don't mind you doing the occasional search in your spare time. I know you work hard."

"Thanks." She responded. Gabby then noticed that there was a printout lying on the printer of the page.

"By any chance would you be trying to show this to someone?" Gabby asked her. "You know, like maybe someone you'd like to take you to see this?"

"I've been dropping a few hints, but he just doesn't seem to get it." Charity replied, flicking her eyes in the direction of the workshop. "Either that, or he doesn't want to get it. Like, maybe he's trying to spare my feelings."

"Rad?" Gabby asked her, a little pleased to hear that she appeared to return Rad's feelings. "You've been dropping him hints?"

"I've mentioned I'd like to go to this dozens of times." Charity sighed, taking the printout from her. "Maybe I'm wasting my time..."

"Well, have you ever considered more direct action?" Gabby asked her. "I mean, no offence to Rad, he is pretty smart, but when it comes to common sense he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. I once had to stop him drinking the Windowlene because he mistook it for Gatorade."

"You mean ask him out?" Charity asked her. "I wouldn't know where to begin!"

"Well, maybe saying something like 'would you like to go to the horror film festival with me' would suffice." Gabby suggested with a shrug. Charity just glared at her.

"That isn't what I meant." She replied. "I can't just go up and ask him."

"He might say yes..."

"What if he does?" Charity asked her. "Would he be saying yes because he actually likes me or because he feels sorry for me because of this?"

She smacked the arms of her wheelchair in frustration. Gabby just put an arm around her.

"The one thing neither of us would ever do is patronise you." Gabby assured her. "We've made some changes around here to make things easier, but have we ever done anything for you?"

"You gave me this job." Charity answered. Gabby just looked at her.

"No, that's not what I mean." Gabby explained. "We don't wheel you in here each day, we don't ring up your sales, we don't do your share of stocking the shelves...hell, I even got that grabber in the back room so you can get the coffee and cups down yourself. We let you do everything for yourself."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Charity asked her. Gabby just looked into her eyes.

"We never even consider the chair when we think about you." Gabby told her. "Are you sure you're not just using that as an excuse because you don't want to risk being rejected?"

Gabby just picked up the bag and headed for the door.

"You know, he is just through the back if you change your mind." Gabby reminded her. "I'll be back in about an hour."

Over at the High School, Liv, Johnny and Fred were just taking their seats in Fran's English class, preparing for the lesson ahead when Donny came into the classroom. Fran smiled as she saw him, he had told her he would be stopping by. He turned to the class to greet them.

"Class, as you know, I'm deeply committed to making sure that everyone in this school receives the best opportunities available to them. So far our football team is doing well, our new glee club is shaping up nicely, and so far, our GPA scores are rising well in the league tables. I also believe in rewarding hard work and accomplishments, which is why as of today, you're getting a new student."

With that, Julie came into the room. Fred just groaned and rested his head on the desk.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this." He muttered.

"Class, I'd like you all to welcome Julie Kitchner." He continued, gesturing to her. "She is a deeply gifted student, who has shown such remarkable progress in the short time since the beginning of term, that I believe she is ready to advance to sophomore year. I trust you will all show her the same respect and support you do each other. Julie, there's a spare desk about three feet to your left in the front row."

Julie made her way to her desk and took a seat. Liv, who was sitting right behind her, leaned forward and tapped her in her shoulder.

"I know you said you were getting advanced, you never said it would be so soon." Liv said happily. "It's so cool we'll be taking classes together now!"

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to it." Julie told her. "Oh, and Fred, you can stop sulking. You knew this was going to happen sooner or later."

"Anyway, I'll leave you all in Mrs. Martin's capable hands; enjoy the rest of your class." Donny told them as he left.

"Alright class, we were looking over the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." Fran reminded them. "Fred, we're beginning chapter 17, why don't you start us off."

Back at Storm Chargers, Charity made her way into the workshop to find Rad on the phone.

"Yeah, I managed to find the squeak you were talking about, it was just needed a minor adjustment on the shocks." Rad told the customer on the other end. "Your bike is ready for collection any time, but I have to tell you that we're really busy and...Yes, we'll still be here at 5PM. Thank you Mr. Karr."

As he hung up, Charity came over.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked him.

"Surprisingly yes, most of these bikes only took a few minutes." Rad informed her. "A lot of these guys take pretty good care of their rides. They just wanted a pro to look at them, see if they couldn't shave a couple of tenths of a second off their time."

"Um...you know that film festival I was telling you about?" She asked him.

"Yeah, that slasher film thing at the multiplex." He replied.

"Well, it's this Friday and I was thinking of going." She told him. "The details of the tournament are almost finalised, and since Gabby's going camping on Saturday, she said she wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I hope you enjoy it." He responded. Charity just took a deep breath.

"God, you really aren't that bright are you?" She muttered. Rad just looked at her confused.

"That's a bit harsh." He commented. "What did I do?"

"Rad, I'm telling you this because I wanted to know if you wanted to go." She told him. "You know...with me."

Rad smiled a little, hearing this.

"You mean like a date?" He asked her.

"If you'd like." She said a little quietly, her nerves beginning to tell on her. "You don't have to or anything..."

"Where do you want to meet up?" He asked her. Charity smiled, unable to believe her luck. Gabby had been right all along, it really was worth taking the risk.


	41. Charity's Date

Friday came a lot more quickly than anyone would have thought, but it had still seemed like a long time to Charity. She was just finishing ringing up a sale while Gabby was in the back, packing supplies for the camping trip she and Dom were taking their new students on the following day. She took another look over to where Rad was busy explaining to a customer the nature of the work he had done on his bike, and smiled.

With the tournament only a week away, most of the locals had been stocking up on supplies and getting their bikes looked at in preparation. They had been busy all week, Rad especially since he was working on virtually every bike in town in a week. Both of them had been doing a lot of extra time, and doing as much work as possible so they wouldn't leave Gabby in the lurch while they left to go on their date.

She still couldn't believe she had plucked up the courage to actually ask him out. She found it even harder to believe that he had actually agreed. He was pretty different to the guys she was normally attracted to. He was definitely eccentric, and he rarely if ever took anything seriously. However, in the few times they had talked alone, he had shown her that there was something much deeper, wiser about him than anyone gave him credit for, or than he was willing to show. It was just something that she had accepted that because of her disability people had a habit of talking to her chest, or somewhere just over her shoulder, trying awkwardly to seem like they weren't staring at her chair, but he was one of the few that always looked her in the eye when he talked to her.

It turned out that just like her; he had been a follower of many of the action sports. Given his time travelling with motocross teams, he had often been present at many multi-discipline tournaments, and spent time between repairs enjoying the other events. Rad brought the customer over, handing an invoice to her, bringing her back from her thoughts of their date later that day.

"Um...right...that'll be 85 dollars." She managed to stammer out. The customer reached into his wallet for his credit card, his expression indicating that he wasn't especially happy with how steep the bill was, but accepting it as a necessary expense.

"So you're sure that's everything?" The customer asked him. Rad just smiled and nodded in response.

"If you don't believe me, take it for a spin on the track this weekend." He assured him. "Trust me, if I hadn't fixed those cracked springs, or that fuel injector, you'd have been lucky to limp over the finish line, never mind win the tournament."

"If that bike doesn't run like shit off a stick..."

"If you aren't completely satisfied with the repairs, we'll do the follow-up service on the house." Rad told him, handing him one of their brochures. "It's the Storm Chargers guarantee."

"I'll hold you to it." He replied as Charity handed him receipt, before he stormed out of the store. Charity rolled her eyes.

"Why are there so many jerks at competitions?" She asked him. "I remember I used to love just being there."

"He's not just a jerk, given how thrashed his bike was, I'm amazed it was still running at all." Rad replied. "I wasn't joking; it was just one decent bump away from ending up in a hundred pieces. I'd recommended a new bike, but he insisted on keeping it."

"It was really that bad?" Charity quizzed him.

"If that bike wins the riding portion, it'll be a more miraculous resurrection than Lazarus." He said with a laugh. Just then, Gabby came down into the store, looking more than a little exhausted.

"Whoa, you look wiped." Rad commented. "I thought you were only going for the weekend."

"There was a lot of packing to do." Gabby assured him as she looked around. "I see you've managed to get most of the work done."

"Yeah, we've been flat out." Rad assured her. "I've got the workshop clear, so you shouldn't get anything today that can't wait until tomorrow."

"That's appreciated Rad." Gabby told him, patting him on the shoulder warmly. "Well, I doubt there'll be anything else today that I can't handle, so the two of you can feel free to make a move."

"Are you sure?" Charity asked her. "We have been pretty busy."

"We've already seen most of the locals." Gabby reminded her warmly as she pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and making her way behind the counter. "According to dad's contacts with the local hotels and B&Bs, most of the visiting competitors won't be here until early next week, so there won't be much time for time off then. You two deserve a little treat."

"Well, I know I wouldn't mind a shower and a change of clothes." Rad assured her. "I feel like I've been bathing in every cheap brand of motor oil there is for days."

"You smell like it too." Charity teased him playfully, biting her lip. He reached over the counter, stroking a hand across her face and smudging a little oil on her as she squealed, before laughing at the response.

"Have fun tonight you two." Gabby ordered them as Charity turned her chair and made her way to the door.

"I'm sure we will." Rad assured her. "Thanks dudette!"

"Rad!" She yelled as he ran out of the store before she could retaliate. She just shook her head and laughed. "Alright, this time I'll let it slide. Next week, you'll suffer enough to count as payback."

Over in the high school, just coming out of lunch, Fred and Johnny were making their way down the hall, deep in conversation as Fred held a magazine before him, explaining something he had read. Johnny appeared to be interested.

"So if we follow these schematics, I reckon we could squeeze out another two." Fred told him. "We have most of the parts already for the engine, it would only require a couple of other parts and some slight modifications which I bet we could manage no problem and the job's a good one!"

"There's no way all that's going to fit under the hood." Johnny reminded him.

"So we do a cut-out." Fred replied with a shrug. "Trust me, if we set up like this, The Fury will fly!"

"I thought you were making a car, not a fighter jet." Liv giggled as she arrived with Julie, wrapping an arm around Johnny. "You guys are aware the speed limit's 55 right?"

"On the freeway that's more of a recommendation than a limit." Johnny replied, accepting a high-five from Fred. Julie just groaned.

"I swear you two are obsessed." She commented. "It's only a car!"

"Believe me, it'll be more than just a car." Johnny replied. "So are you sure you'll be fine scavenging from Uncle Vinnie's without me?"

"Hey, you might be better, but you're not the only one who knows his way around a set of tools and an engine." Fred responded casually. "I'll be fine, just you and Liv enjoy your camping trip."

"So what do you have planned?" Liv asked Julie, touching her shoulder to make sure she knew it was her she was talking to. "I mean, we'll be out of town, and I'm sure Fred's probably going to spend the entire weekend knee deep in engine parts. I just kind of feel like we're all ditching you."

"It's alright; I was hoping to get some major studying done." Julie told her. "I have a couple of weeks of work to catch up on. I did just get skipped to sophomore year."

"Something you keep reminding me of." Fred teased her, ruffling her hair. "So how long do I have to keep hearing about that?"

"Only till you stop going on about that car." She replied with a smile. Just then, the bell rang, alerting them all to the first afternoon class beginning.

"Italian, here I come!" Johnny quipped.

"Isn't it kind of cheating considering you're already fluent?" Julie asked him. He just shrugged.

"I can't help it if the school provides classes that work well for us." Johnny commented. "Liv wanted to learn Italian, and it's quite novel finding something I can help her with for a change."

"Well I think I'll stay with Ancient Studies if you don't mind." Julie replied, making her way down the other hall. "I'll see you all later."

In another part of town, Rad had finished showering and was busy getting ready for his date in the living room. He wasn't really accustomed to dating. He had been around girls before, being part of numerous race teams in his time, but normally they were more interested in the racers than with the mechanics and the other crew members. It had been quite some time since he had actually had a date.

He had looked out his best pair of jeans, the only pair without any tears or holes, and pulled them on, but the top was where he was finding difficulty. He wanted to make a good impression on her, and so had looked out a pale blue shirt his mother had bought him for Christmas a couple of years ago, that he had worn only once that he could remember. He checked it out in the mirror, but wasn't sure if it looked like he was trying too hard. After all, they were going to a horror movie festival, not a fancy restaurant.

He pulled it off, before going to something a little more familiar next, a black Metallica t-shirt. Trying that, he looked in the mirror again, before wondering if perhaps it was a little too much like he normally looked, almost as though he wasn't really concerned by how the date went. He wanted things to go well. He really liked Charity, and he hoped that maybe one day things could move beyond friendship. He pulled off the t-shirt, deciding he really needed to try harder. Just then, he heard a small ping as a tiny stone hit his window. He went to the window and opened it, finding Charity on the lawn outside.

"Wow, those baggy t-shirts really hide a lot." She complimented him, seeing his torso. His ninja training had left him with an impressive physique. He wasn't a large guy, generally appearing a little skinny fully clothed, but underneath, everything was impressively toned. The fire style emphasised dynamic strength, a combination of lightning speed and manipulation of bodyweight and chi energy to generate the strength in their techniques. He looked down, realising he was half-naked. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Heavy lifting and working tools." He assured her, trying to find an explanation. "When you spend all your time loading bikes onto trucks, you kind of get a good workout. I do the occasional run as well."

"Maybe you should consider entering the Ironman." She suggested. Rad just smiled.

"I thought we were meeting at the theatre." He commented.

"That's what we arranged." Charity agreed. "But since Gabby let us out a little early, I was thinking maybe we could get something to eat first."

"You already asked me out." He reminded her with a small laugh. "Now you're picking me up? It's just as well I'm secure in my masculinity."

"It kind of makes sense, you don't have a car." She answered. Rad then thought about something. She had thrown a pebble at the window to attract his attention, and he realised why she hadn't gone to the door. The front door was on a porch a couple of feet above the ground. It wasn't much, only three small steps, but it was still a difficult obstacle for her to overcome. "I know a good burger place on the way."

"I just need to get ready." He told her, looking back inside. "I...um...don't really know what to do in this situation. It's been a while."

"Well, I had a bit of trouble with that too." She responded. "Then I figured, it's me you're going on a date with, so there was no point trying to dress up and be anything different."

"That makes sense." He told her with a grin. "I'll be down shortly."

With that, he turned back into the room, and grabbed his Metallica t-shirt, pulling it on as he headed out the door. He leapt down the three steps, landing a little way from Charity, and smiled at her.

"You look great." He complimented her, causing her to look away a little in embarrassment.

"Come on, I parked my car on the street." She replied, smiling to herself as he followed her.

Over in JKP, it was beginning to get a little busy as Liv and Johnny arrived home from school, coming through the kitchen. Lily was pleased to see them.

"Alright, get changed quickly." She instructed them. "It looks like everyone's using this weekend for trial runs and last-minute preparations, so we've already taken a load of take away orders. Dom's been driving all over town."

"We'll be ready soon." Liv assured her as they rushed inside. As she went into the dining room, a FedEx guy came into the restaurant, carrying a letter.

"I'm looking for Mr. James." He told her.

"I'm Mrs. James." She replied, taking the clipboard from him and signing for the delivery. He handed her the envelope, before leaving. Lily just looked at it a little curiously. It looked official. On closer inspection, she realised it had a post mark from the Attorney's Office. She tore it open, and began reading the letter. As she neared the end of it, she found herself having to read it again to be sure what she had read had been correct. RJ came in, covered in flour.

"Lily, do you know what I did with that jar of black olives?" He asked her. He noticed that she wasn't paying attention, and started waving a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Lily!"

"This just arrived from the Attorney's Office." She told him, handing him the letter. "They're holding a hearing to release Mike. They want to know if we want to appear."

Mike was still something of a bad memory for them. He had caused a lot of problems for Johnny and Liv across the last year. He had terrorised the family when he broke into their apartment with a gun. He had even ended up shooting RJ, putting him out of action for weeks.

The court appointed psychiatrist had ruled that he was not psychologically responsible for his actions at the time of his crimes as a result of his own turbulent family situation. As such, he had never been convicted of any crime, and instead had been sent to an institution for treatment. Apparently the doctors there had decided that they believed he was now fit to be released. RJ sighed as he put the letter away.

"I guess we knew they'd let him out eventually." RJ commented.

"RJ, he could have killed you!" She shrieked in disbelief. "He was waving that gun around like a maniac! Anyone could have been hit!"

"Don't you think I remember that?" He answered her, holding her tightly.

"What do we tell the kids?" Lily asked him.

"The only thing we can tell them." He replied sadly. "We tell them the truth."

Charity and Rad arrived at the movie theatre after their meal, approaching the ticket office. The guy behind the counter smiled as he saw her.

"I figured we'd be seeing you here for this." He commented. Rad looked to her.

"I guess you come here a lot." He laughed.

"Only for every horror film that's ever been released." The counter assistant told him.

"Except the Saw movies and the Hostel films, they both sucked." Charity replied as she reached for her wallet. Rad stopped her, taking out his own wallet. "They weren't scary, they were just...gory."

"The lady knows what she likes." Rad stated, handing over the money. The counter assistant called for an usher. "That's alright, I know the way."

Rad followed her into the theatre, which had shallowly sloped aisles to make it easy for her to make her way in. As they arrived at the premium seats, Charity lifted herself into one of the seats, as Rad took his own seat.

"They always make sure I get a kick-ass seat." Charity told as she folded her wheelchair, stowing it in the aisle next to her. "One of the fringe benefits of the chair."

"You know I love how you do that." Rad said as she finished putting it away.

"Do what?" She asked him.

"The way you always seem to try and find a way to think positively." He replied. "The way you can just joke about the chair like that, I don't know if I could be like that."

"Well I've been like this for a while now." She told him. "I can't remember when exactly it happened, but one day I just got fed up being angry all the time. It was driving me crazy."

"I can imagine." He told her. Just then, the lights started to dim down. They both turned towards the screen, as the opening scenes started to roll. Charity felt something bump against her hand as she watched, and looked down, noticing Rad's hand fumble for hers as the stereotypical attractive blonde and clearly doomed teenager went about the house as the foreboding music, and shifty camera work alerted the audience to the fact she was being watched. Charity finally took his hand, and held it, smiling as she turned to the screen to watch whatever fate awaited the doomed teenager.


	42. Beginning a Busy Weekend

Charity parked her car outside Storm Chargers, pulling into the disabled parking space assigned for her, pulling on the parking brake, before reaching for her wheelchair. It was always easier if someone was with her, since she could have them set up the chair, but she had always been determined to be able to get around by herself. Opening the door, she placed the chair alongside her car, unfolding it, before lifting herself into it.

She locked up the car, before heading towards the store. She still couldn't stop thinking about the date with Rad the night before. It quickly became clear as the night went on that horror movies were not his cup of tea. He had jumped at every scary moment and every on-screen death they had seen. He had almost jumped into her lap when a nameless teenager had been decapitated, and he had squeezed her hand incredibly tightly several times. While it had hurt a little at times, she had to admit quite liking having him hold her like that.

As she got to the door, getting ready to unlock it, she noticed that Gabby and Dom were already moving, in the store, getting packed for their camping trip. She put her key away and opened the door.

"Wow, you do realise you're only going for two days right?" Charity laughed as she saw a massive pile of bags they had packed and gathered in the middle of the store. Gabby realised that she had a point; they were very heavily packed for a simple two-day camping trip. However, this was no ordinary camping trip. They had also packed a lot of training equipment and medical supplies. This was going to be the first time they would train their eager young students, and so they would be making sure their first session was as intense as possible. This trial would be as much a test for them as their students, and would give them a good grounding on how best to tailor their continued training.

"You know me; I just like to be prepared." Gabby commented, trying to deflect the conversation somewhat. "It's better to have something and not need it, than not have it and need it."

She then came over to the counter as Charity went to the computer to check on the website for the Ironman Tournament to see if there had been any messages or any new developments they needed to deal with.

"So?" She asked her employee with a large grin on her face. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Charity asked coyly, repressing her smile. Gabby just laughed.

"The date of course." She replied, realising that Charity was just teasing her. "How was your date with Rad?"

"You better tell her." Dom sighed as he picked up a large, heavy bag. "Otherwise I'm going to be loading the van by myself."

"There's no hurry." Gabby whispered, leaning over the counter with a mischievous grin. "I want to hear about it, every detail."

Charity watched as Dom began taking bags out, and gestured Gabby closer.

"It was really good." She told her boss. Gabby just looked a little disappointed and shoved her shoulder gently.

"That's it?" She asked. "Really good? That's all?"

Charity nodded a little, before looking back to the computer.

"I gave up both my employees on a Friday night for 'Very good?'" Gabby commented sarcastically. Charity just sighed and turned back to her as she realised Gabby wouldn't let it drop.

"I picked him up from his place and took him to the burger joint in the mall." Charity told her, recounting her date the night before. "After that, we went to the movie festival. I could tell it wasn't his thing, but he sat through it anyway."

"How could you tell?" Gabby asked her. Charity just laughed.

"He was jumping more than most of the girls in the theatre." She informed Gabby. Gabby had to try hard not to laugh. It seemed funny to think of a ninja being scared by a horror movie. "It had its benefits though; he was holding my hand almost the whole night."

"I bet you enjoyed that." Gabby commented. "So, what happened then?"

"After the movie, I took him home." Charity told her.

"And then?" Gabby asked her. Charity just groaned and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Then nothing!" She commented. "I took him to his front door, told him how much fun I'd had, he said the same back, and then...nothing! He just went in!"

"He just went in?" Gabby asked her. "What, no goodnight kiss?"

"I wasn't expecting a marriage proposal or anything, but I was hoping for something at least." She commented. "I mean, I asked him out, I picked him up, I took him home, and he wouldn't even kiss me!"

She held her head in her hands, taking a deep breath as she tried to think about it.

"Do you think I'm just wasting my time?" Charity asked her. "I mean, maybe it was just him feeling sorry for me. Maybe he didn't have a good time."

"You know, I wouldn't worry too much just yet. Maybe he was just nervous." Gabby suggested. "Some guys try moving too quickly, even when a person doesn't mean anything to them. Maybe he just isn't ready."

"I guess." Charity sighed. "I just wish..."

"Hey Gabby!" Liv called out as she and Johnny arrived in the store, carrying their rucksacks. "Are we ready for the trip?"

"Almost." Dom announced as he picked up another few bags. "It would go a little quicker if I wasn't loading by myself."

"We'll lend a hand." Johnny answered as he and Liv helped pick up the remaining bags and took them out the back door to the van.

"We really should be making a move." Gabby told her, touching her shoulder gently. "Just...don't do anything too hasty, at least not until you talk to Rad about it."

"I'll try not to." She responded. Just as Gabby was about to leave, she held up a hand. "Hey, there have been another couple of entrants, and I think you'll recognise all of them."

"Who?" Gabby asked her.

"Three new Ocean Bluff entries. Casey Rhodes, Fred Kitchner and Rad." She informed her.

"I guess that means I'll be getting requests for a couple of loaner bikes." Gabby remarked with a shrug, before finding herself looking at the fourth name. "Warren?"

"I figured you'd remember him." Charity replied. The last time she had seen or heard of him was at the tournament she was injured in. While he hadn't been responsible for spiking her drink and causing her accident, the stigma of being involved on the same team had taken its toll on his career. He had lost his contract with Iazamu, who were keen to distance themselves from the scandal and repair the PR disaster that had followed. Other teams were loathe to touch him, and so he had disappeared off the radar, with his career in tatters. It was obvious that he was hoping to regain some exposure on the scene with his first televised event since his disgrace.

"He was a pretty good rider." Gabby commented. Just then, Dom came back in.

"Gabby, that's us packed and ready to go." He informed her. "We should be making tracks."

"Rad should be here shortly." Gabby reminded her. "Just remember what I said."

Over at JKP, RJ was busy preparing some dough when Lily came into the kitchen. She noticed that he was beating on it a little more heavily than he normally did. Looking over to the rack, she also saw that he had almost a full load already.

"You were the one who always told us we don't need to beat it to death." Lily teased him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Why do I get the feeling I know what this is about?"

"I guess my usual Zen-like calm doesn't extend to people who tried to shoot members of my family being released." He commented. "Are you sure we did the right thing not telling them?"

"The hearing isn't until Wednesday night. There's no point in ruining their weekend worrying about it." Lily assured him. "They'll have a hard enough time with Gabby and Dom as it is. We can tell them when they come home."

"I want to give him the benefit of the doubt." RJ told her. "I'm all about second chances and I really do hope they're right about him, but any time I think about it, all I can think about is..."

"I know RJ, I feel that way too." Lily interrupted him. "He threatened our family. It's only natural our first instinct is to worry about them. Our first priority is to keep them safe."

"I've never felt this way about anyone." RJ admitted. "Even when I was at odds with dad I still wouldn't have wanted anything bad to happen to him, but any time I think about Mike, I just find myself hoping he gets locked up for good, or that he leaves town, anything just so he's not around for us to worry about."

"Like I said, it's understandable you feel that way." Lily told him. "I have to admit having had a few less than charitable thoughts on the subject myself."

"Maybe we should see a lawyer." He suggested. "I mean, even if we can't convince them to keep him locked up, maybe we can take out a restraining order or something."

"Well, I don't know what good it would do, but we can always ask." Lily replied. Just then, Michelle and Flit came into the restaurant. Flit was carrying a couple of bakery boxes, while Flit was carrying numerous bags from various stores. They were still in the process of making arrangements for their wedding, which they were planning for the end of the year. Lily saw them through the kitchen door and made her way out.

"Hey guys." Lily greeted them. "It looks like you've been busy."

"Yeah, we've been all over town." Flit commented as he put down the bags and took a seat. "God I miss being able to fly."

"I bet you also miss being too small to carry bags." Lily giggled. "So what's in the boxes?"

"I got a few samples of wedding cakes." Michelle told her. "We were hoping RJ might agree to a little tasting to help him tailor the menu."

As usual for family weddings, RJ had agreed to provide the catering. He came out, looking at all the boxes and bags gathered around the table and realised what was happening. He pointed back to the kitchen.

"I...uh...think I heard a delivery..."

"Nice try RJ, the delivery came yesterday." Lily reminded her husband, sitting him down at the booth. "It'll be ages before we see any customers, and you've prepared more than enough ingredients for me to handle it."

RJ just turned to the others as he realised he was being railroaded into another session of wedding planning. The Rhodes family were particularly fanatical about family weddings, and Michelle had already bombarded Lily with brochures and magazines as she kept finding new ideas she thought would be good for the wedding. He was sure that there would be headaches ahead. He shrugged as he thought about it. While he was sure it would be wearing on his patience, he figured at least it was a distraction from the situation with Mike.

"Alright, what are we trying first?" He asked her. Michelle opened the first box, handing him a small piece of cake.

"Well this is a traditional sponge with a lemon icing." She began. RJ just tasted it as she went into a lengthy explanation about what the whole thing had looked like in the shop.

Over at the wrecker's yard, Vinnie was looking through piles of tyres for a customer who had called ahead for a spare when he heard someone working with tools. He furrowed his brow as he heard this, and started to make his way towards it, reaching inside his coveralls to where he had a magnum slung in a shoulder holster. He saw Fred leaning over a car, working with some tools.

"Turn around." He instructed him. Fred did as he was told, at which Vinnie just rolled his eyes. He had seen Fred around the yard with Johnny harvesting parts for their project car.

"Sorry, Johnny said you'd be cool with me harvesting parts." He told him.

"Yeah, but I kind of thought you'd let me know you were here first. I thought someone was stealing stuff." Vinnie responded in a groan, looking around. "Where the hell is Nero?"

"The Mastiff?" Fred asked him, pointing over to an overturned hub cap that he had filled with water. Nero was lying next to it, eating what appeared to be a meatball sub. "He's a great dog."

"Some guard dog you are." Vinnie grumbled as Fred scratched Nero behind the ears. He just whined contentedly. "Normally he hates everybody."

"Well I kind of have a way with dogs." Fred replied with a smile. Vinnie looked to a trolley, seeing a pile of engine parts piled there. He pointed to it, and looked to Fred a little surprised.

"Did you do all that?" He asked him. "When did you get here?"

"I got here about half an hour ago." Fred told him. Vinnie smiled, clearly impressed.

"Wow, and I though Johnny was good at stripping parts." He commented, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Between his studies and all the time he spends at that pizza parlour, he doesn't spend much time here anymore."

"Except when he's getting parts for the project car." Fred replied. Vinnie was about to walk away when a thought hit him.

"What's your name again kid?" He asked him.

"Fred." He replied. "Fred Kitchner."

"How would you like to do that and earn a few dollars for it?" Vinnie asked him. Fred just smiled.

"Are you offering me a job?" He asked in response.

"It'll only be a few hours a week, but since Johnny doesn't spend much time around here anymore, I could do with an extra pair of hands every now and then." He told him, before looking to Nero and laughing. "Not to mention I find it hard getting anyone that Nero doesn't immediately chase off the lot."

"I'll have to ask mom, but I don't think she'd mind." Fred replied with a smile. "I'll let you know."

"I'll tell you what; I need the tyres off that pickup." Vinnie told him. "Why don't we call today a trial?"

"I'll be done in a minute." He replied, picking up a wheel spider and rushing over to the vehicle. Vinnie just turned back to Nero, who was looking up at him.

"Good dog Nero." He complimented him, clapping him gently. "I have a feeling this is going to work out."


	43. Camping Weekend

Gabby, Dom, Liv and Johnny rolled into an area of the woods, bringing the van to a halt by a small jetty. Gabby got out first, smiling as she looked out over the lake.

"It's been a while since you've been up here hasn't it?" Dom asked her, putting his arm around his wife. "I know you loved coming out here with your uncle."

"Things have been kind of crazy the last few months." She conceded. "I have so many great memories from out here. My Uncle started my training out here."

She turned towards the van to speak to Liv and Johnny, but Dom noticed her pausing for a second as she saw a wooden cabin in the distance. She just stared at it, and looked deep in thought. It didn't take long for Dom to figure out where they were. They were only a few feet from the cabin Karl had taken her to when he kidnapped her. It had been a long time since then, and Gabby was a very different person now, but that didn't mean she didn't still remember it vividly. Dom put an arm around her.

"I guess there are some not-so-great memories out here too." He whispered. He remembered the day pretty vividly too, being the one who had gone to save her. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I guess I haven't thought about it in a while." Gabby replied. "I'll be fine. I have more good memories than bad."

Johnny hefted a large bag onto his shoulder, before looking to the cabins.

"I thought you said we were camping." He stated, a little bit of a smile crossing his face. As much as he had prided himself on being a tough person, he was clearly getting a little hopeful that they would have rented a cabin. Gabby just grabbed his face and turned it towards the jetty, where a couple of rowing boats were waiting.

"The journey isn't over yet." She told him. "You see that island out there? We still have a way to go."

"You're joking right?" He asked her. "You want us to row out there?"

"There's a nice little secluded spot there." She assured him. "I used to go there with my uncle all the time. We'll have a nice private place to concentrate on your training."

"But we're ROWING out there?" Johnny asked her. "It has to be about a mile at least, and with all this stuff..."

"Consider it a warm up." Dom interrupted him. "Oh, and you two are doing all the rowing. So get started on loading up. The sooner you start, the sooner you eat."

Johnny and Liv just shook their heads and started muttering under their breath as they headed to the boats. Gabby leaned in to her husband with a little smile and whispered in his ear.

"You know my Uncle was right about one thing." She told him. "It is fun messing with your students."

"I get a feeling we're going to enjoy this weekend." Dom replied, making his way down the jetty. "Alright you two, remember to balance the weight when you're loading. The last thing you'd want is to end up swimming."

Meanwhile, over at the Wreckers' yard, Vinnie was just arriving at the gates, when he found Fred waiting outside. He smiled as he saw him there.

"So did your mom give you an answer?" He asked. Fred just nodded in response.

"She said as long as it doesn't interfere with my studies, she's cool with me working here." Fred assured him. "Her exact words were, anything that keeps me out of trouble."

"Well I'd certainly not want to do anything to mess up your education." He told him. "Do you think you could manage say...two six hour shifts a week? I generally try to get most of the stripping done at the weekend. I'd need you between ten and four."

"I'm pretty sure I could clear my schedule for that." Fred told him. "Anywhere, where are the coveralls? I saw a caddy that looks like it's been waiting to be stripped for a while."

"They're in the shed, just help yourself." Vinnie told him. As Fred went off to get started, Vinnie smiled. He had hoped that Johnny would show more of an interest in the yard, but he now had so much of his own stuff going on. While his disappointment had prevented him from admitting it, he was actually proud of Johnny and his work at JKP. With his cooking, he hadn't just found something he showed a real talent for; he also had a real passion for it. There was more work than he could really do himself at the yard, and he was hoping to get Johnny to help, but he liked this friend of his. It was the next best thing, and he had a feeling he was going to work out fine.

Over at Storm Chargers, Rad was just helping a customer purchasing a motocross helmet. Charity was over by the register, watching him. She still felt a little self-conscious about their date. It had gone well, but she was still a little thrown by the fact that he hadn't made a move to kiss her. She

He rang up the sale, before sending the customer on his way, and then turned to her and smiled.

"I wonder how the boss lady's doing on the camping trip." He commented.

"I'll bet she's having a great time." Charity sighed, looking around the store for any signs of another customer. Finding that there was no one there, she figured now was as good a time as any to talk to him. "Rad, can I talk to you? It's about last night."

"I was wondering when you'd bring that up." He replied with a smile. "I had a really great time."

"You clearly hated the movies." She reminded him. "You were jumping higher than half the girls in the audience. I'm pretty sure I even heard you screaming at one point."

Rad laughed, nodding to confirm this.

"What can I say; I guess I'm not that into horror movies." He admitted, recalling the night. "Michael Myers could be pretty scary in some of those early films."

He leaned over the counter, looking her in the eyes and smiled.

"I guess there's a lot of ugly stuff in the world." He told her. "I suppose I just don't get why people would want to see it for entertainment."

"So why did you agree to go?" Charity asked him. "If you knew you'd hate it, why did you go with me?"

"I agreed because it meant going with you." He replied, taking her hand softly. "I've told you before, I think you're a really cool person. I liked going out with you."

"So, I'm a cool person?" She repeated, sounding almost disappointed to hear him say that. He looked at her a little curiously.

"Was it something I said?" He asked her.

"Rad, you said you enjoyed last night." She continued. "You said you like me."

"Of course I like you." He pressed on. "Why would you think anything else?"

"It's just...I asked you out." She reminded him. "I took you there, and everything. You never made a move on me."

"I don't understand." He answered.

"If you don't think of me that way, I'll understand." She told him. "It's just...at the end of the night, before we left; I was kind of hoping...it was..."

She cursed herself for her inability to articulate what she was trying to say.

"Didn't you want to kiss me?" She asked him. He looked a little stunned by this. "It's been a long time since I've dated, but I thought that if you liked a person..."

He leaned across, and kissed her softly, interrupting her. As he parted from her though, he looked a little nervous.

"The um...wow." He stammered, looking away from her. "I was just..."

"Rad, what's the problem?" She asked him.

"You know how you said you've been on dates before?" He asked her. "Well, let's just say that makes one of us."

She just looked at him, completely shocked by his admission.

"Seriously?" She asked in a small gasp. "I would have thought when you were touring, all those girls hanging around..."

"They were always more interested in the riders." He told her. "The thing is, I've just never found anyone that got me. This was the first time for me. I just didn't want to risk rushing anything and messing up."

"I thought it was me." Charity admitted. "It's been a while for me. I haven't been on a date with anyone since..."

"Since your accident." He surmised. She just nodded in response.

"Any time a guy told me they just wanted to be friends; I couldn't help feeling like it was down to the chair." She admitted. "I try not to let it get me down."

"You said you'd come to terms with that." He replied.

"I might be able to live with it, and I might be independent, but that doesn't mean everything's fine." She told him. "I'm not just a person, I'm also a woman. Any time a guy overlooked me, it made me feel like less of a person, like nobody would find me attractive."

She looked at him a little cautiously.

"I guess it made me feel like less of a woman." She admitted. He smiled at her and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Trust me, you are beautiful." He told her, before leaning in to kiss her. Just as they were about to meet, they heard a slight cough from the door and turned to see a man standing there.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to bring in a bike for servicing." He told them.

"Warren Marshall?" Charity asked, recognising him. Rad just looked a little surprised. Warren had disappeared off the scene since the tournament where Gabby got hurt. His career had been all but destroyed by the incident. He had signed on to the tournament in the hopes of rebuilding his career.

"I heard this was the place to go." He replied. "So can you fit me in?"

"You are aware who owns this place right?" Rad asked him. Warren nodded his head. While he hadn't been directly responsible for Gabby's accident, he had known that Keith had the drugs, and that he was intending to spike Blake's drink. He had only sought to do anything once things started to go awry, and Gabby had been hurt.

"I know, I don't mean anything by it." He assured them. "I haven't competed in a tournament with a decent payout in months. I've been nickel and diming it across the country just to get here. I don't have anyone else to look at it."

Charity and Rad looked to each other, before looking back to Warren. They wished that Gabby could have been there to make the decision for them, but right now only they would be there to do the work. Rad shrugged his shoulders.

"Well I guess Gabby gave me a shot." Rad finally stated. "Where's the bike?"


	44. Another Surprise Development

In a campsite, out in the middle of the lake a little way from Ocean Bluff, Gabby and Dom were sitting in a clearing on a couple of deck chairs. Gabby was wearing some sunglasses, and sipping a fruit juice, while Dom was reading yet another bridal magazine that Michelle had sent Gabby away with. He pointed to one of the prices.

"Do cakes really cost that?" He asked her. "It is just eggs flower and milk."

"They charge that much for making them look all fancy." Gabby replied fixing her glasses. "Besides, you know they're only looking for ideas for the design, Johnny said he'd do the cake."

"Well he did do a good job of our cake." Dom replied with a smile. "Gabby, heads up!"

Just then, a couple of tennis balls fell to the ground. Gabby sighed and took off her sunglasses, looking up into the trees. About fifty feet up, a balance beam had been erected, and Liv was standing on it, on one leg, holding a basket of tennis balls in each hand.

"You dropped a couple, you know what that means." Gabby called up. "Another ten minutes per ball, that's another 20 minutes."

"Oh come on, that's not fair!" She shrieked.

"An important part of my style is balance!" Gabby called back, picking up the tennis balls. "If I hear any more complaints, I'll make it a full hour!"

"I'll be good." Liv sighed.

"It's time you changed leg too." Gabby told her. As Liv did as she was told, and Gabby went back to her deck chair, replacing her sunglasses, Dom noticed a little smirk on her face.

"You're enjoying this way too much." He chuckled.

"My uncle was one of the harshest trainers in Pai Zhuq remember?" Gabby responded. "It runs in the genes."

"You definitely have inherited his sadistic sense of humour." Dom commented.

"Besides, you can't tell me you aren't enjoying this too." She reminded him. Just then, Johnny came into the clearing, carrying a large log across his shoulders. Dom just sighed and shook his head as he looked at the stopwatch.

"Three more laps left Johnny." He reminded him. "Pick up the pace, your time's three seconds out."

Johnny groaned and continued on his way.

"OK, this is kind of fun." Dom agreed. "You know, it kind of makes me think it would be interesting to have some of our own."

"Students?" Gabby asked him. "Don't you get enough of those at the temple?"

"Not students." He told her. Gabby pulled off her sunglasses and looked at him, smiling a little.

"You mean...kids?" She asked him. Dom just nodded a little. "Well, I guess we didn't talk about that much before we got married. I know we both agreed it was on the agenda at some point."

"I know that Storm Chargers is the priority right now." Dom assured her.

"I'm still in my first year." Gabby reminded him. "I know things are going well, but the first two years are the danger period."

"It's alright; I know that you want to make a go of this." Dom told her. "I guess I'm just thinking out loud. I know we have plenty of time."

"But you are thinking about it." Gabby replied. "It might be a while, but...how many were you thinking of?"

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it." Dom answered. "I guess I was kind of looking to you to make that decision. It is you that's going to have to do the hard part after all."

"Well I was an only child." Gabby told him. "I suppose I'd like a couple. Not too many, maybe two."

"You want the kids to have siblings?" He asked her.

"Well, I just see the way Casey is with his sisters, and I guess it kind of makes me feel like I missed out on something." She commented.

"I kind of did too." He sighed. "I mean, I know I have Jarrod, but I didn't even know about him until a couple of years ago."

Just then, another tennis ball fell. Gabby looked up.

"Ten more minutes." She called up.

"Oh come on!" Liv screeched in response.

JKP was running steady business that Saturday, meaning that RJ and Lily had plenty to do. They had press ganged Lily's dad Michael into helping out, while Megan and the kids kept David busy.

Camille came in, holding Holly by the hand as she dragged the stroller behind her. Although Holly had learned to walk some time ago, she was still quite little, so they still needed the stroller for when she got tired. Lily smiled as she saw them.

"Hey, it's been ages since I've seen you." She commented, taking the stroller from them and showed them to a table. "I see you've been shopping."

"Yeah, she just keeps growing out of all her clothes." Camille told her. "She needed some new stuff anyway. I'm going to get her into pre-school in the New Year."

"So she'll be getting to know some other kids her own age." Lily commented. "You'll like that won't you?" Holly just nodded as she looked at the menu. She wasn't able to read all of it, but Casey and Camille had been teaching her little bits, and there were plenty of pictures to give the customers ideas.

"I know she has all those cousins, but we figured she needed to expand her social circle a little." Camille sighed. "I mean, she's going to have enough Ranger kids in her life. It might be an idea if she knows some normal people."

"I guess normal is always a relative concept for us." Lily responded. "I guess Casey's training for the Ironman."

"Like you wouldn't believe." She groaned. "He's been on a strict diet and exercise plan for days. If I eat one more tuna pasta, I swear I'm going to grow gills. I just needed a little junk food. I also thought this little one would like some ice cream."

Holly looked up, nodding frantically as she heard this. Lily just stroked her hair, not noticing as a man in a suit came in behind her.

"I'll tell you what, if you finish your whole slice of pizza, I'll see what I can do." Lily told her. Camille nodded in the man's direction as he came over. Lily frowned as she turned to see him.

"Um...can I help you?" She asked him.

"Mrs. James?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I'm Mrs. James." She replied. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm Dr. Lewis from the Olive Grove Hospital." He told her, pulling out an envelope. "I was asked to deliver this to you on behalf of..."

"Mike Bishop." Lily grumbled, taking the envelope from him. "We're already going to the hearing. What else does he want?"

"He asked me to deliver a visitation order." He told her. "He wanted to meet up with you before the hearing."

"Mike Bishop?" Camille asked Lily. She recognised the name. While she hadn't been directly involved in the incident, she had heard all about it. It wasn't every day a member of the family was shot in their own home. "Wait, Olive Grove? You're from the mental hospital?"

"I work in a hospital for the mentally ill yes." He told her. "I'm sorry Mrs. James, but can we talk somewhere privately?"

"Anything you have to say you can say in front of her." Lily told him. She turned to Camille. So far she and RJ hadn't told anyone about the latest development. They had wanted to tell Liv and Johnny first when they got back the following day. "There's a hearing this week. They're trying to release him."

"You're kidding right?" Camille asked him incredulously. She pulled her daughter in closely, hugging her in such a way she covered her ears. "You know what he did right? He shot one of my best friends in this very building!"

"We understand how you feel, but our interest is in the welfare of our patient." Dr. Lewis told her. "He was having a psychotic episode. He wasn't responsible for his behaviour."

"So what if I had a psychotic episode and shot him, would you let me out after a few months too?" Camille snapped.

"Madam, I can't talk about his case, he's a patient and has the same rights to confidentiality as anyone else, but I can assure you that the doctors wouldn't have recommended him for release if they didn't believe he wasn't a threat to himself or others." He told her. "We are a hospital, not a prison. We only hold patients while we're treating them."

Lily just rolled her eyes as she heard this. She knew what he was telling her was true; the court's summons had explained all the circumstances of the case. Because Mike was ruled to be mentally ill at the time of the shooting, he was not convicted of a crime, and was instead placed into psychiatric care. That was little comfort right now though, not when the man who had shot her husband, and almost shot her and her baby was quite possibly going to be free to wander the streets.

"OK, you've given us the letter, now could you please go?" She asked him. Dr. Lewis just nodded and left the restaurant, keen not to upset her any further. Lily just sighed as Camille looked at her.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us." She commented. "How did RJ take it?"

"How do you think?" Lily asked her. "I'm sorry we didn't say anything. We only heard a couple of days ago. We wanted to let the kids have their weekend away before we told them. We wanted them to be the first to know."

"I guess I can understand that." Camille replied. "So when's the hearing?"

"Tuesday." Lily told her. "He could be out in three days."

"So what are you going to do?" Camille asked her.

"I don't know." She said honestly, before seeing Holly looking at her and remembered she was there. She forced a smile. "Anyway, I suppose you two want some pizza."

"And Ice Cream." Holly reminded her. Lily nodded.

"Of course." Lily stated. "Usual all round?"

"That would be great." Camille responded as Lily turned and left. She stroked her daughter's hair, able to sympathise with Lily's position. She could only imagine how she felt.

Over in the Wreckers' yard, Fred was busy stripping a car for some parts while Vinnie was taking a break, sitting on the bed of a pickup truck, reading a magazine, a thermos of coffee sitting beside him.

"Hey, these pistons are in pretty good condition." Fred commented as he pulled them out. "The rest of the car's a rusty piece of crap, I was sure there'd be nothing here."

"You can't always go on appearances." Vinnie sighed, turning the magazine around to show him a picture of a guy in a sharp suit, with an expensive haircut standing in front of an ornate fountain. "I mean, check this guy out. I'd say he looks like a model, but apparently he's one of the top scientists in the world."

"The National Enquirer?" Fred asked him. "You actually read that?"

"Some of the articles are fascinating." He replied defensively. "But yeah. I remember once getting a Jeep in that looked like it was practically in factory condition, but I didn't find one engine part that wasn't rusted shut, or burned out. It was a miracle it hadn't fallen out."

"Still, they're in really good condition." Fred remarked. "Do you mind if I take them for the project car?"

"Sure." He replied with a shrug. "Wow, this guy is smart."

"I still can't believe you read that garbage." Fred laughed in disbelief, pulling the tarpaulin off the trolley of parts he had been harvesting that weekend for The Fury. "So what does the brainiac do that's so great? Build rocket ships out of toilet roll tubes?"

"Actually it says he's making huge strides in robotics...oh wait...no it says cybernetics." He replied, reading further. "Listen to this. Dr. Stewart, the leading engineer of the Macca Group has made some highly experimental, though very promising advances in robotics, which he has openly acknowledged that at least theoretically, could end up being integrated into living creatures, making prosthesis obsolete and paving the way for bionics."

He took a sip of coffee and continued reading.

"He was quoted as saying that while the science is still in its infancy, it is his sincere hope that one day, his technology could be used to help amputees, and even return those with other disabilities to full health and independence." He told him. "Dr. Stewart said that this technology may eventually deliver the promises of many healers by allowing the lame to walk, the blind to see and the deaf to hear within his lifetime."

"A bionic man?" Fred scoffed. "Somehow I doubt it."

"I don't know, I have heard of a guy in some university that implanted a chip under his skin that opens the door to his lab and turns on the lights when he approaches his lab. Maybe in the future, humans with technology inside them wouldn't that far-fetched."

"Personally I just believe in what I can see and touch." Fred replied. "I'll believe in a bionic man whenever I see one."

"Each to their own I guess." He replied with a shrug. "Anyway, you've been doing great work today. You can head home if you like."

"Really?" Fred asked him. "I still have about an hour and a half on the clock..."

"You'll still get paid for the full shift." He interrupted Fred. "Get out of here before I change my mind."

Fred didn't need telling a second time, wiping his hands off on a rag.

"I'll just get this stuff to the school garage." He rushed out. "Thanks Mr. Mancusso."

"Call me Vinnie!" He shouted after him as Fred left. He reached down to where Nero was gently sleeping and stroked him.

"He might not have much of an imagination, but he's a good kid." He commented cheerfully. Nero let out a small, contented whimper, almost as though agreeing with him. "Well he's given you his sandwiches the last couple of days, of course you like him."

He got up, finishing his coffee and screwing the cap back on the thermos.

"Come on Nero. It's time for your walk." He told him, pulling the dog's leash out his pocket.

Back in JKP, Lily and RJ were in the kitchen, preparing for the dinner time rush. They were both unusually silent as they went about their work. Lily had put the letter up on the refrigerator for later. They had both decided to talk about it when they weren't so busy, but even after the last of the customers had left, they were still spending time with the prep work. Michael came in, finding them both in silence.

"You know, I think this is about the quietest I've ever seen the two of you." He commented. "I was wondering if I'd gone deaf."

RJ just turned towards him, giving him a slight glare, before looking back to Lily. She looked back at him. She finally sighed and snatched the letter from the fridge.

"He's right, this is ridiculous." She told him. "We have to talk about this."

"You're right of course." He agreed, pulling out a stool and taking a seat. He rested his elbow on the counter, and his chin on his hand. "So should we go?"

"I don't know." She mumbled. "I mean, the last thing I want is to even see him again, much less pay him a social visit."

"I'm really not keen on it either." RJ agreed. "I asked our lawyer, and we'd need a good reason to get a restraining order."

"The fact he broke into our home with a gun isn't a good reason?" Lily asked him.

"If the court and the hospital decide he isn't a danger, as far as they're concerned he's got the same rights as everyone else." RJ responded. "Unless he does anything else..."

"Great, so we'll just wait until he kills someone then shall we?" Lily snapped. "God this sucks! We were the victims and he's the one getting all the consideration."

She shook her head in defeat.

"I hate what he's done to us, and I'm not just talking about the attack." She continued. "Look at us. He's turned us into basket cases."

"I know we should give him the benefit of the doubt." Michael chipped in, taking a soda from the fridge. "That doesn't mean you don't have a right to be cautious."

"Maybe it would be an idea to visit him." RJ suggested, causing Lily to look at him a little curiously. "What I mean is, in court we won't get a chance to really talk to him, to see what he's like. Maybe this will give us a better idea if there's anything to be worried about."

"I suppose it isn't like he could try anything in a secure hospital." Lily surmised, chewing her fingernails a little. "Maybe that wouldn't be so bad."

"So should we call up and arrange the appointment?" RJ asked her. She nodded in response.

"Liv and Johnny are going to be back by 1PM." She reminded him. "If we get a 10 o'clock appointment, then we'll be back in plenty of time."

"I'll just go and make the call." RJ responded, leaning across and kissing her cheek softly, before making his way out of the room. Michael put an arm around her.

"I'm really proud of you." He whispered to his daughter.

"I just hope this all works out for the best." Lily told him. "I swear, if he comes around here looking for trouble, he'll get a lot more than he bargained for."


	45. The Visit

The sun was beginning to set as Gabby took Liv through some sparring. As she pressed the attack again, quickly putting Liv under pressure, she had to admit being impressed. Although she was young, RJ and Lily had taught her well, and she was a lot stronger than she had expected. She had managed to get a couple of decent shots in, and she was faring a lot better than Gabby would have expected.

Liv stumbled briefly on a loose patch of earth, but managed to recover quickly, so quickly that she almost caught Gabby off-balance as she rushed to press the advantage. They separated and faced off, at which Gabby summoned her Animal Spirit, sending her humming bird straight at Liv. She responded with her badger spirit, managing to deflect the attack. Gabby just smiled, impressed by her young student's strength.

"Alright, it's getting dark." She told her. "I think that's enough for today."

"Thank God for that." Liv sighed, relaxing her guard, completely exhausted. Gabby had been pushing her hard the entire day. She needed to be sure that Liv was ready for the rigours of the next stage of her training. However, the young girl had proven that she was strong, and more than ready for any challenge sent her way.

Dom and Johnny came back, a little roughed up, but happy, laughing and joking as they came back to the campsite.

"So how did you get on?" Johnny asked his girlfriend, putting an arm around her. Liv kissed him quickly.

"You'd have to ask my master." She told him, looking to Gabby. The older woman just nodded in approval.

"She did well." Gabby confirmed. "We'll have some more training sessions in the future, but for your initial training camp, this has been very productive."

"Johnny did well too." Dom stated. "His bull spirit really packs a punch."

"Well I for one am starving." Johnny commented. "I could probably eat a bull."

"Unfortunately you're going to have to make do with sausages and burgers." Gabby told them.

"We should probably get cleaned up first." Johnny remarked. Liv smiled at him, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well there was a small lake in the middle of the island." She reminded him, drawing closer. "We could always..."

"Um...no, I don't think so." Gabby interrupted her, gently pushing them apart. "Liv, you go and get cleaned up. Johnny, you help Dom get some fire wood. You can get cleaned up in a once we have a fire to cook on."

Liv just sighed and walked away in the direction of the lake. Johnny looked to Dom a little disappointed.

"But I've been working out all day." He complained. "Can't I just..."

"No." He replied, dragging him away. "The sooner we get the fire started, the sooner you can wash up."

"But..."

"I get it, I was 16 once too." He continued. "But how happy do you think RJ would be if he found out we let you and Liv bathe together?"

"I guess he wouldn't have been that happy." Johnny groaned as they walked away, leaving Gabby to start unpacking the cooking equipment.

Over in JKP, RJ saw Lily sitting at the living room at the main table, going over some accounts as the night wore on. He came over, putting a bowl of meatball pasta down beside her.

"This Mike visit has you worried too doesn't it?" He asked her.

"What makes you say that?" She asked him. He smiled as he put an arm around her.

"Those are LAST year's books." He told her. Lily just groaned and closed the book.

"Of course I'm worried." She muttered. "Do you really think it's possible that he's changed?"

"I'd like to say yes." He stated honestly. "I think we can all admit he wasn't exactly thinking rationally. Maybe this hospital treatment was exactly what he needed."

"What if he made it up RJ?" She asked him. "His family's got more than enough money for lawyers to say he was ill. You hear about it all the time, people say they're..."

"Lily, we'll be fine." He assured her. "I mean, we're going to see him in a secure psychiatric ward. On Tuesday he'll be in a courtroom surrounded by guards. He can't do anything to us."

"Until he's released." Lily told him.

"Then, it's not like we're helpless." He assured her. "You know Liv and Johnny are strong, they'll be able to take care of themselves."

"We thought that before." She reminded him, lifting his shirt and pointing to the scar on his stomach. "You have the scar to prove it remember?"

"Look, I'm worried too, but there's no point in torturing ourselves until we speak to him." He reminded her. "Once we've seen him, we can decide how cautious we have to be."

"I can't be in that situation again RJ, I just can't." She told him, looking over to where David was happily playing in his play pen. "If he comes after my family again, he won't be going to a hospital."

"Like I said, there's no point in worrying about that yet." He told her. "It's possible that they're right. It's possible that he has been treated."

"I hope so." Lily replied coldly. "For his sake."

With that, she picked up the files and headed for their room.

In Storm Chargers, they were about ready to close up for the night, when Warren came in. Usually they closed early on a Sunday, but given the tournament the following week, they were holding back on closing up for competitors to make their purchases.

"I'm here for my bike." He told Charity. "Is it ready?"

"I'll just check with Rad." She told him, wheeling herself away from the register. "Is there anything else you need?"

"There's plenty I could use, but I'm on kind of a shoe-string at the moment." He told her. "Since I lost the Iazamu contract, I'm funding myself. The motel room's maxed all my credit cards."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She told him. "I remember seeing you ride. You were really good."

"I like to think I still am." He sighed in response. "You know what they say about reputations. They take a lifetime to build, and minutes to destroy."

"I guess that's true." Charity replied. "I'll check on the bike."

As she went into the back, another customer came in. She was tall, almost as tall as Warren, and had short, dark hair with deep red streaks in it. Her flesh was pale, almost like milk. Her dark eyes were fierce, and seemed completely alien compared to her flesh. She was wearing a long, ankle-length leather coat, with large, leather boots covered in metal plates, with black denims and a black t-shirt, depicting a heavy metal band. The look was completed with dark eye shadow. She made her way over to the counter, looking around in interest.

"The assistant's in the back." Warren told her. "She should be out shortly."

Almost on cue, Charity came back out.

"The bike's finished." She told him, before noticing the new arrival. She saw the stranger and looked up. "Oh, sorry I was just checking something in the workshop. What can I do for you?"

"I'm just looking for someone." The stranger told her. "He's got long hair, a lot of tattoos, dresses like a slob. He has everyone call him Rad."

"Um...he's in the back." She told her. Charity didn't really know how to respond. She had known that Rad had a past, but he hadn't really talked about any of his old friends. Indeed, nobody had ever come into the store and asked for him before. "Do you want me to call him?"

The stranger smiled and pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small, glass ball, which seemed to house a swirling red mist.

"That's alright. I just wanted to be sure I had the right place." She told her. "I'll see him when the time's right."

With that, she threw the ball to the floor. The whole room filled with red smoke, which quickly dissipated. As soon as it did, Charity and Warren found themselves alone in the room. Charity stared at him blankly.

"Um...what was I doing again?" She asked him. He looked at her oddly.

"You had just told me the bike was ready...and then you stopped talking." He told her. They both looked confused, trying to remember what had happened. Eventually, Charity just shook her head clear.

"Um...yeah, Rad said to go right through." She told him. "He'll help you load it onto your van."

"Thanks." Warren answered as he headed through to the workshop. Charity just returned to the register, before taking a look at the monitor attached to the security cameras. Changing it to the one in the store, she found only static. Rewinding, she only found static as far back as that day's tape would go. Somehow the recording had simply disappeared.

Over at the camp site, the group were sitting around, just polishing off the last of their dinner.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever cooked over a campfire." Johnny told them. "I think I might have to expand my repertoire to include barbecue."

"Well it's certainly a success." Gabby told him. "I remember when my uncle brought me out here to train me in my animal spirit. He taught me the legend of the Fallen Masters."

"The ones that became Grizzaka, Carnisoar and Jellica?" Johnny asked. RJ and Lily had taught them of the legends of the temple during their training. She nodded.

"When I found out my spirit was a hummingbird, I was a little bummed at first." She told them. "I thought it was a little weak. I mean, my friends had cool animals, like cheetahs and foxes and tigers. When I ended up with a hummingbird, I thought it was because I was weak. He taught me all about Shen to show me that it was strong."

She looked around them and smiled a little.

"Now, I couldn't imagine being anything else." She told them. "I'm honoured that the Hummingbird chose me."

"My rhino took a little getting used to as well." Dom stated, putting his plate down. "I was in a small training room the first time it came out. Needless to say it isn't indoor friendly. Master Finn screamed at me for ages for wrecking the place."

"That's kind of embarrassing." Liv commented.

"You don't know the half of it." He told her. "My dad, Master Mao, ended up taking me aside one day when he heard about it. I told him I hated it because my animal spirit was big and stupid. He ended up explaining to me that the Rhino is one of the singularly most powerful animals there is."

"Well I'll always remember the first time my animal spirit came out." Liv chipped in. "It was when Mike was in the apartment."

"I remember Lily telling me about that." Gabby told her. "She was so proud of you."

"I was holding dad in my arms. He was fading, I could feel it. His blood was everywhere." Liv recalled a little sadly. "Then Mike turned the gun on mom and David. It was like every ounce of strength, all the anger and all the love I had in me just rushed out all at once. I saw him take the hit, and then I remember feeling light-headed."

"You saved your family." Dom told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "RJ told me he saw it before he lost consciousness. He was so proud of you that day."

Johnny put his plate aside, before breathing something of a deep sigh.

"So what about you Johnny?" Gabby asked him. "Any memories you're proud of?"

"I don't know." He told them. "It doesn't start off as anything to be proud of."

"Come on, tell us." Liv told him. "We won't judge you."

"No, we won't." Dom assured him. "We've all done stuff that we weren't initially proud of."

Johnny thought about it for a moment, before nodding.

"Alright, but you have to swear you won't tell anyone." He warned them. "Especially not RJ or Lily."

They all nodded reluctantly. They weren't in the habit of keeping secrets from their friends, but they could see that this was important to him.

"It was after Mike threatened me in the wreckers' yard." He told them. "He and his friends surrounded me, and they had me on the ropes. He beat me up pretty badly, and then he pulled the gun on me. After that, I swore I was going to set things right."

He looked down, a little ashamed by the next admission.

"My uncle was in the navy for a little while. He keeps his old service revolver and ammunition in a drawer in the living room." He told them. "I went downstairs in the night with every intention of taking it. I told myself that if he was going to pull a gun I'd be ready."

"You took a gun to school?" Liv asked him. He shook his head.

"I had it in my hands. I was just starting to load it, and then I started thinking about all the stuff RJ had done for me." He told them. "I didn't care if I got arrested. I didn't even really care if I got shot. The thing that got to me was thinking about the fact I'd be letting RJ down if I settled things that way. That I'd e throwing away everything I had been working so hard for. So I just put the gun back and went back to bed."

The others just stared at him for a moment. It was a pretty big admission, and they could understand why he wasn't keen on RJ and Lily finding out. Admitting that he was considering using a gun to solve his problems would hardly endear him to them considering he was dating their daughter.

"You did a brave thing." Dom finally said. "You did the right thing. Sometimes that's the best thing you can do."

"Thanks for telling me." Liv whispered, leaning over and kissing him softly. Gabby picked up a handful of earth and tossed it onto the fire, extinguishing it.

"Well, I guess it's time we were turning in." She stated.

"I guess it is." Liv replied, getting up. She headed into Gabby's tent, at which her master followed her. Johnny looked to Dom.

"You know the two of you are married." He reminded him. "We'd understand if..."

"Nice try Johnny." He chuckled, showing him to their tent. "I know you probably wouldn't do anything, but like I said. I remember being your age. Those hormones can make you do crazy things."

The next morning, Lily and RJ arrived outside the mental hospital, pulling into the visitors' parking lot. Lily wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she looked over it. It sent a chill through her to see it.

It was a tall, foreboding building, built from a dark stone, with Ivy crawling up the sides. The roof was sloped, and gargoyles stood, their leering faces looking down on the yard as though keeping an eye out for any escaping inmates. The windows were covered in a wire mesh, and the front doors were large, and made of a dark oak. Even in daylight the building gave her the creeps. At night, it would have been like something out of a horror movie.

"I know how you're feeling." RJ whispered, putting an arm around her. "This place is just creepy."

"Let's get this over with." She told him. "I don't like this place."

"Neither do I." RJ assured her as they went in. Coming up to the reception desk, they found a large man in a white orderlies' uniform standing there. A large, black nightstick was strapped to his belt, a harsh reminder of the realities of how dangerous an institution like this could be.

"We're here to see Mike Bishop." RJ told him, handing him the visiting order. The orderly looked to the letter, and then back to him. He buzzed the intercom.

"Visitors here for Mike Bishop." He stated, before turning back to them. He put a tray on the desk.

"Empty your pockets." He instructed them. "No metal or sharp objects. No glass, no heavy blunt objects, or anything else that can be used as a weapon."

Lily and RJ did as they were told. He looked over, gesturing to RJ's lower body.

"I'll need your belt and shoes." He informed him. "Inmates could use shoe laces to hurt themselves. I'll need your jewellery too madam."

Lily reluctantly took off her bracelets, her necklace and her wedding ring as RJ took off his belt and his shoes. Lily's were slip-ons with no heels, meaning there were no worries about them. He took the tray and placed it in a locker, locking them away.

"Mr. Bishop is ready to see them now." A voice came back through the intercom. The orderly gestured to them to follow him.

The interior of the building did nothing to ease their feelings of trepidation. As they went down the pristine white corridors, they heard many unsettling sounds coming from the holding rooms. The orderly finally brought them to the visiting room, gesturing to it.

"You'll be observed at all times." He told them.

He opened the door, letting them in. Inside, they found Mike waiting. He looked like a shadow of his former self. He was still healthy, but he had lost a considerable amount of his muscle mass, looking a lot leaner. His dark hair was short, and his flesh was very pale. He looked up to them from his chair.

"OK, we're here like you wanted." Lily told him. "So what do you want?"

"I know I'd see you at the hearing, but I wanted to see you beforehand, so you'd know what I had to say was serious, and not just for the court." He told them. "I wanted to show you that I'm serious when I tell you that I regret what I did."

RJ looked to Lily, holding her as he felt her tense up.

"Alright, you've got our attention." RJ told him. "We're listening."


	46. Lily's Warning

Johnny and Liv were busy packing up the camping equipment in preparation for their journey back to the city. Dom looked around, a little curious as to exactly where his wife had gone.

"Come on Dom, are we going to have to do everything?" Johnny asked him. Dom nodded.

"It's all part of the training." He assured him. "Um...did either of you see where Gabby got to?"

"She said something about going to wash her face to wake up." Gabby replied with a shrug. "She didn't really sleep too well last night."

"I'll go and look for her." Dom told them. "When you've finished with the bags, start loading the boat. We'll be along shortly."

Johnny nudged Liv as he left, pointing after him.

"You know if we hurry, we could leave them here." He teased her. Liv laughed a little as he suggested this. She knew he didn't really mean it, they were all good friends. At worst, they'd take the boat out a little way, and come back for them later.

"It's tempting." She told him. "I mean, I did spend an hour on that balance beam, but we can't do that, I'm kind of looking forward to getting back home."

"I know what you mean." He answered. "I wonder how Fred and Julie occupied their time over the weekend."

"Knowing Julie, she probably spent the whole time studying." Liv sighed. "Which reminds me, I still need to get her to explain the lineages of Greece for history."

"Well the only thing I know about the Greeks is their houses supposedly throw seriously wild parties on college campuses." Johnny told her.

"Somehow I don't think fraternity houses are exactly what they're looking for when they want an essay on Ancient Greek culture." She surmised as they started to carry bags down to the boat. As they started to load it, Johnny pointed over to where Dom was holding Gabby as she stared out over the lake to a log cabin almost exactly opposite them, near the jetty they had left from the day before.

"What do you suppose that's about?" Johnny asked her. Liv just shrugged.

"I don't know." She remarked. "If it was anything to do with us, I'm sure she'd tell us."

"I guess so." Johnny agreed with a small sigh. "Hey, we're just about ready to go!"

"Thanks Johnny." Dom answered as they made their way back to the boat. "Come on, I'm sure Lily and RJ will be looking forward to filling you in on how busy they've been this weekend."

Meanwhile, over in the asylum, Mike was still talking with Lily and RJ about the upcoming hearing.

"My psychiatrist says my meds are really helping." He told them. "My mom's lawyer thinks there's a good chance the hearing will go my way."

"So that's why we're here?" Lily asked him a little coldly. "We're here to listen to you gloat about how you screwed the system?"

"No, that isn't it at all!" He called out, before rubbing his temples and breathing deeply as he tried to compose himself. "I screwed up, I know I did, and I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me, I'm not asking for that. I just...all I wanted was to let you know that I'm serious when I say that I just want to move on."

"You're leaving town?" Lily asked him. RJ tried to rein her in so she wouldn't say something she'd regret. He shook his head.

"That isn't an option." He told them. "The only other relative I have is dad, and he made it pretty clear where he stands on the whole issue of me coming to stay."

"He's not keen on taking you in because of this?" RJ asked him. Mike just let out a small, spluttering laugh.

"More like his new trophy wife isn't keen on the idea." He answered. "I found out the reason dad kept ducking my calls and refusing to have me visit is because his new wife doesn't want a teenager around making her look old. I haven't met her, but I've heard she isn't much older than me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lily sighed as RJ held her. As much as she hated what Mike had done, she had to admit having a little sympathy hearing about his chaotic home life. From what she had heard, his parents' divorce had really torn him up. She didn't like to think badly of people, but by the sounds of it, Mike's dad had all but cut him out of his life.

"The thing is, once I'm released, I'm going to be staying in Ocean Bluff." He told them. "I just wanted to talk and assure you that I'm not going to be doing anything dumb."

"You can understand why we're worried." RJ replied. "I think for starters it goes without saying that we'd feel more comfortable if you didn't come around our home."

"Of course." He responded, holding up his hands.

"We'd probably prefer it if you stayed away from our family altogether." Lily told him. "I know if you're living in the same town..."

"It'll probably be a little more complicated than that." He said with a slightly pained look on his face. "I've been studying in between my treatments. I'm only a few points away from graduating. If I get released..."

"Oh hell no!" Lily yelled, standing up quickly, sending her chair flying. "You're not serious. You're going to go back to school?"

"I really want to move on with my life. If I can just graduate..."

"Lily..."

"This is insane! He can't be serious!" Lily protested as a couple of orderlies burst into the room, hearing the commotion. "The school's meant to protect the kids! They're meant to keep them safe!"

"I promise you that I won't go anywhere near Johnny or Liv." Mike told her. "I just want to take a few classes and get a diploma. That's all!"

Lily threw RJ's arm off her as she glared at Mike. The orderlies put themselves between her and Mike, prepared for any kind of fallout. Lily just looked him straight in the eyes and spoke, her voice cold and deliberate.

"If you do anything to any member of my family, you won't be coming back here." She warned him. "You won't be coming back at all."

With that, she turned and left the room. RJ followed her, hoping to keep her calm.

"Lily..."

"We need to talk to the school." She cut him off. "This isn't happening. He can't seriously think that we're going to stand back and let this happen."

"Lily, you have to calm down..."

"Give us our stuff back." Lily snapped as they got back to the desk. "We need to talk to the kids; we need to speak to Fran..."

"Lily please..."

"I meant it RJ, he better not come near us again." She warned him. "If he does, I'll put him in the ground!"

Over at Storm Chargers, Charity was busy updating the website for the tournament when Casey came running in, coming to a stop by the counter. He was sweating heavily, and breathing hard as he leaned on the counter to catch his breath. Obviously he had been working hard on his workout.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Gabby said I could come in and arrange some time on a loaner bike." Casey finally managed to say as he pulled out a water bottle and took a long slug. Rad came in from the workshop, seeing him standing there and smiled, coming over.

"I guess you're here for the loaner bike." He asked him. "You're in luck, there's only one other guy on the track right now. You should have a pretty clear run."

"Yeah, it's only really the motocross part of the course that worries me." Casey admitted, following Rad into the back. "The running and swimming sections shouldn't be too bad, but I haven't really dedicated much time to motocross."

"First time?" Rad asked as Casey sat on a bike. Casey nodded.

"How did you guess?" He asked. Rad pointed to the bike.

"Because that isn't the bike you'll be using." He informed him. "That's a 125. The Motocross section will be raced on 250's."

"Oh." Casey commented, getting off the bike. "I think I may have just bitten off a little more than I can chew."

"Well taking part in a tournament your first time out probably wasn't going to be the easiest of introductions." Rad commented as he looked out to the front. "Hey Charity, mind if I take the newbie out and give him a few pointers?"

"That shouldn't be a problem." She assured him with a little smile. "Have fun out there."

"I'm sure we will." Rad told her as he led Casey out onto the track. "Alright, let's start out with a nice easy run; just see how you handle the bike before we worry about speed..."

He noticed Casey staring at the other rider as they arrived, and immediately knew what he was concerned about.

"Look man, he's only here to practice." Rad told him. "He's here for the tournament just like you."

"Does Gabby know about this?" Casey asked him. Rad just shook his head.

"I doubt it." He replied. "He only got here after she left on the trip."

"Well I guess we're going to find out soon enough how she feels about this." Casey replied with a shrug. "She's due back any time now."

Meanwhile, over by JKP, Gabby pulled up outside the front, where Lily and RJ were waiting. Liv and Johnny got out, at which Liv threw herself into RJ's arms for a desperate hug. He allowed himself a small laugh as he saw the state they were both in.

"I see you both earned Master Phant's fondness for hard training." He commented. Gabby nodded in response.

"They both handled it really well." Dom told them. "They're really something."

"I know they are." Lily sighed, putting an arm around Liv. "Thanks for taking them this weekend."

"Hey, it was kind of fun." Gabby responded. "There were a few memories for us too."

"I'll bet there were." Lily commented, remembering that where they went on their trip wasn't far from where Gabby had been kidnapped.

"Please tell me there's something to eat." Johnny commented as Gabby and Dom left, and Lily and RJ took them inside. "I'm starving!"

"Well that'll have to wait I'm afraid." RJ sighed regretfully as he closed the door behind them. Johnny looked around curiously.

"Um...why is the restaurant closed?" Johnny asked them.

"Sit down kids." RJ told them. "There's something important we need to discuss with you."

Charity was just finishing updating the website when Gabby came into the store. Dom was only a little way behind her, helping her with the camping equipment. She dumped her backpack on the floor.

"How was the trip?" Charity asked her boss.

"It was pretty good." She replied with a shrug. "The kids seemed to enjoy it."

"Well the store's been pretty quiet." Charity assured her. "Rad's out on the practice track with Casey giving him a few pointers."

"Well I guess that would probably be a good idea." Dom surmised. "I mean, unless he wants to embarrass himself on the track portion."

Just then, Warren came into the store, carrying his helmet and resting it on the counter.

"That hairpin's a killer." He remarked as he approached. "There's a hairline crack in my helmet. Do you have any...resin."

His words tailed off a little as he saw Gabby and Dom. He looked a little regretful as her. It had been a long time since the accident, and he wasn't entirely comfortable coming face to face with her again.

"You...um...you look well." He finally managed to stammer out. "I'll just...get this and go if you'd like."

"It's alright." Gabby sighed, gong behind the counter and ringing up the sale. "I guess you're here for the tournament."

"It was the only one I could enter after...well...you know." He replied nervously, keeping an eye on Dom, who was sticking pretty close to Gabby, making sure Warren knew he was there. "I haven't exactly had many offers since I lost the Iazamu contract."

"I don't imagine you would." Gabby replied. "That'll be 3.99."

Warren handed over the cash, completing the sale as he kept looking around nervously.

"Thanks for your business." Gabby told him. "Good luck on the tournament."

"Thanks." He replied, taking the resin and leaving the store. Dom held Gabby as he went.

"If you want..."

"The tournament's an open contest; he has as much right to participate as anyone else." Gabby told him, kissing him softly. "I'll be fine. Honestly."

"Would you like to see your uncle?" Dom asked her. "I know that usually makes you feel better."

"That would be good." Gabby told him with a nod. "I guess I wanted to talk to him about Liv's training anyway. Just to get some pointers on how things are going."

"We'll be fine here." Charity assured her boss. "You feel free to go. Rad and I will get this stuff away."

"It's fine; just shove it in the store room." Gabby told her. "We'll get it when we get back."

As Gabby and Dom left, they didn't notice the mysterious girl sitting on the opposite side of the street, watching them leave. It was the same girl who had gone into the store the previous day. She had been keeping the store under surveillance since then. As she saw them go, she smiled.

"The animal spirits are strong in them." She commented, pulling out a picture. She smiled as she confirmed Gabby's identity. "It looks like my journey is going a little more quickly than I'd planned."

As Gabby and Dom headed off in the direction of the woods, the girl followed them, being careful to stay out of sight.

Back at JKP, Liv and Johnny sat silently as Lily finished explaining to them about the hearing. Johnny just held Liv tightly as she heard this.

"It's not guaranteed right?" Liv asked them. "I mean, that's why there's a hearing. They're going to decide..."

"It isn't a prison, it's a hospital." RJ reminded her. "They can only hold him while he's being treated. He was never charged with a crime."

"Mike said the doctors are confident he'll be released." Lily told her.

"What if he comes by again?" Liv asked her. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I can defend myself, and I know you could, but what about David?"

"That'll never happen." Lily assured her. "I promise you that. He'll never lay a hand on David if he plans on keeping it."

"If you want to go to the hearing on Tuesday, we'll understand." RJ told them. "We can call the school..."

"I'd like that." Liv told them, nodding nervously. "If I do have to watch my back, I'd like to know about it as soon as possible."

"You said he wants to go back to school right?" Johnny asked them. "Can't we even stop that? I mean..."

"We've called Fran." Lily told her. "I don't want him to be any closer to you than he has to be."

Just then, Fran came into the room with Theo and Algie.

"Speak of the devil." RJ commented. "We really appreciate you coming."

"I wanted to help in any way I could." She told them.

"You know, I'm not the guy's biggest fan, but could I suggest something here?" Theo asked. "Maybe him going to school wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"Talk quickly Theo." Lily warned him darkly.

"It's just...maybe if he graduates, he could move on of his own accord." He suggested. "It isn't like he'd be there all year; he only has a few points to make up. Besides, Donny had all those metal detectors put up. It isn't like he can risk getting a gun into the grounds; he'd end up in jail for sure."

"He has a point." RJ conceded. "I'm not wild about the idea, but if he is going to be around, the school might be the safest place he and the kids can be around each other."

"Maybe this way, we can see if he's serious about leaving them alone." Theo suggested. "It isn't like he can do anything too serious in the school. The kids can look after themselves, and if he does do anything he'll prove that he was playing the system all along. He'd end up in jail this time for sure."

"I don't care about the damned metal detectors; I just don't want him anywhere near them." Lily put down flatly. "Fran, you can't let this happen."

"Well, the thing is I checked up, and there isn't really much I can do about it." She told her.

"Fran, you're one of the teachers there!" Lily reminded her.

"Exactly, I'm one of the teachers!" Fran told her. "I can't make any decisions who is or isn't allowed to go to school. That's Donny's call to make."

"Then I'll have to call him." Lily replied. "There is no way he can let this happen!"

"Unfortunately it is well within his power." Fran told them. "The teachers really don't have much say in the matter. It's between him and the education department, and given the fact he was mentally ill, strictly speaking there was no reason to expel him. There's no way to say how much, if any of his behaviour was his fault."

"Is the whole world freaking insane?" Lily shrieked. Just then, she heard David starting to cry. She let out a groan as she heard this.

"I'll go." She told them.

"Lily..."

"Damn it RJ, I don't want to talk about this anymore!" She told him. "Until someone tells me something we CAN do to stop this, I'm not interested. I just...I have to deal with David."

"Lily..."

"RJ please." She begged him. "This is one thing I can do to help right now. Just let me deal with this."

With that, she left the room, leaving RJ in the room with the others. Fran put a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess we should have expected that." She replied. "I wish there was more we could do."

"So do I." RJ sighed. "She's already threatened to kill him if he comes for us again."

"RJ, she's just scared." Fran said sympathetically. He shook his head.

"I know her better than anyone. I saw the look in her eyes when she said it." He told them. "She meant every word."


	47. The Day Before the Hearing

Monday morning came around, and School was the furthest thing from Liv or Johnny's mind. Ordinarily they'd have been happy to have a free day off school, but given that they would be going to Mike's hearing, somehow a full afternoon of Mathematics sounded tempting by comparison. They had both agreed that it was best that they attend, if not necessarily to speak, so that they would at very least be there to hear what the doctors and the lawyers had to say about Mike and his rehabilitation. Liv went to her locker, looking out her books as Johnny came over, resting on the locker next to hers.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her.

"Not well." Liv sighed, closing the locker over as she finished collecting her books. "I got a couple of hours, but then I had a really bad dream, and I just couldn't face going back to sleep after that."

"That sounds familiar." Johnny muttered, before slamming a fist into the locker next to him. "Damn it! I thought all that training was meant to make us all confident and not worry about guys like this."

"Johnny..."

"I mean, your mom and dad..." He tailed off as he realised he was in public, before deciding to rephrase. "Your mom and dad have faced off against a lot scarier guys than Mike."

"You'd think so, but this really has mom super freaked." Liv informed him. "When I left this morning, she looked like she'd been working out for hours. The way she was kicking the shit out of the wooden man I was expecting it to end up imbedded in the rear wall."

"Do you really think she'd do it?" Johnny asked her. "I mean, we both know that she has more than enough skill and power, and we both heard what she said..."

"Dad seems to think so." Liv responded, a distinct look of worry on her face. "I've never seen her like this. It has me really scared."

Johnny just held her. He understood what she meant. She wasn't really worried about Lily physically, if she went after Mike, or if she saw him coming, then she would be able to take him down, gun or not. It was more what would happen afterwards that worried her. Liv had already lost one set of parents to violence; she was obviously not keen on the thought of losing any more.

"Aw now isn't that sweet." Fred teased them as he and Julie came over. He stopped for a moment as he noticed that they were hardly in high spirits. "Um...who just died?"

"It's nothing like that." Johnny told him. "We've just got a lot on our minds."

"Speaking of which, you said you were going to help me with my history." Liv reminded her.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Johnny asked her. Liv just looked at him regretfully.

"If I don't occupy my mind, I'll just stew over it." Liv told him. "Will you come round to mine after school?"

"Sure." Julie answered with a shrug, taking out her cell phone. "I've developed a bit of an addiction to your dad's chicken wings. I'll just call mom and let her know she's on her own for dinner."

"We were going to be working on the new engine for The Fury remember?" Fred asked, shoving Johnny gently. "But I can see you're upset. Whatever it is, if you want to give this a miss..."

"No, I think Liv might be right." Johnny interrupted him. "Maybe having a distraction would be a good idea."

"I guess so." Fred stated as they made their way down the hall. Julie's cane caught someone's foot as they passed by Donny's office.

"Sorry about that." She rushed out.

"It's alright." She replied. It was a female voice, but it there was just something about it that was a little lower than she would have expected. As they left, she got a little smile on her face.

"I guess by the way your heartbeat just increased she's hot." She teased her brother. Fred just messed up her hair to silence her.

"Yeah, but she looks like a senior." He replied. "Besides, she's got that whole Goth thing going on, and I'm really not into all that dark hair and heavy makeup."

The girl watched them go, paying close attention to Johnny and Liv. She could feel the power coming from them. Their power was young, and nowhere near as refined as that of a Master, but it was clear both were already powerful in their own right. It was the same girl who had observed Storm Chargers, keeping track of Gabby and Rad's whereabouts. She considered for a moment that having others with strong energy in such close proximity might compromise her mission, but it seemed they were not yet skilled in detecting power in others, at least, not unconsciously. She doubted they'd actively look for anyone like her in the school anyway.

She was tall, almost as tall as Fred, and had short, dark hair with deep red streaks in it. Her flesh was pale, almost like milk. Her dark eyes were fierce, and seemed completely alien compared to her flesh. She was wearing a long, ankle-length leather coat, with large, leather boots covered in metal plates, with black denims and a black t-shirt, depicting a heavy metal band. The look was completed with dark eye shadow. Donny came out of his office, and came over, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Veronica, I'm ready for you now." He told her. She got up from her chair and followed him into his office. This was one part of the mission she was not so certain about. She had found the Fire Ninja, and by happy coincidence, she had located the Hummingbird Master at the same place. Her training had been invaluable in the next part, but she had managed to follow Gabby without drawing attention to herself. As a result, phase two of the plan had been accomplished. She now knew where she could find the Elephant Master. This part of the plan though was distasteful to her, she had to convince the Headmaster to let her join this academic institution and pose as one of the students until she could proceed. He gestured to a chair on the opposite side of his desk. "Please, take a seat."

'Why did you ask me to stand up, only to ask me to sit back down?' she thought, but she managed to stop herself from speaking back to him. She figured her brand of social charm was hardly going to make her attempt to infiltrate the school any easier. She just took a seat as he did likewise. He pulled a letter out of an envelope, and read over it.

"Well I got your application letter, but I haven't received any of your documentation." He informed her. "Do you have it with you?"

She pulled out some paperwork from her coat pocket, and placed them on the desk. He looked at the papers, furrowing his brows.

"I don't understand." He told her. "These aren't educational records. I don't even know what these are..."

"I really want to go to this school." She told him. "Please."

"I'm sorry, but without any documentation, I can't enrol you." He told her. "I don't know where you've been to school, what your grades are, I'd have no idea what to..."

He paused as Veronica grabbed his wrist, causing him to look up at her. A pendant around her neck started to glow, and she locked eyes with him, looking deeply into his mind. Donny sat open-mouthed, unable to do anything else.

"Why don't you look again?" She asked, waving a hand over the papers. The writing changed, and an emblem appeared at the top, a school crest. Donny looked down to the paper as she released his wrist.

"Well, your papers all seem to be in order." He told her. "West Silver Hills High speaks very highly of you. With these grades, I'm not even sure what we can do for you. You're not far from graduating as it is."

"I wanted to get as good a score as possible." She told him. "I'm planning to go to UCLA next year."

"Well I'd say you definitely have a good chance." Donny told her, handing her a schedule. "Well these are the classes available. Just take a moment to choose..."

He watched as Veronica ticked a few boxes in rapid succession, before handing him the form.

"I see you know what you want." He commented. "I guess all that's left to do then is run up a copy of your timetable. We could have you in class by second period."

Veronica sat back, a satisfied smirk crossing her lips as Donny left to have his secretary print off a timetable. As much as the prospect of spending God knows how long among teenagers was galling to her, she knew that the plan was progressing well. Getting in had been easy, staying sane while she waited for the next part of the plan to come to fruition would be the hard part.

Casey was in the gym, working hard on his workout ahead of participating in the tournament at the weekend, when Theo came over. Theo had agreed to take a few more classes in the gym that week to allow Casey more time to concentrate on his training. Casey stopped the treadmill, coming to a stop as Theo handed him a bottle of water.

"How was the class?" Casey asked him, taking a swig.

"It was alright." He replied a little nervously. "Um...Casey, do you know Lily's here?"

"I saw her when I came in from my run." Casey replied with a shrug. "What about it?"

"Well, she'd kind of...distracting the other patrons." Theo told him. Casey just laughed as he heard this.

"Well in case you had missed it, she is pretty hot." Casey reminded him. "I can remember when you had a thing for her."

"That's not really what I mean." Theo told him. "She's been working out pretty hard. She's actually starting to put off some of the other customers."

"Seriously?" Casey asked.

"Scaring the shit out of them would probably be a more accurate description." Theo responded. "She's already gone through half your morning Kung Fu class in sparring partners before I asked her to stop. Now she's working on the bag, but if you still want one to be left, you might want to talk to her."

Casey got up, and made his way towards the bags. As he got closer, he heard a succession of grunts and yells, accompanied by loud impacts which sounded just short of explosions. Looking around, he could see what Theo was talking about; many of the patrons were looking a little uneasy, and staying away from her. A couple actually went to the changing rooms to leave, and by the looks of them they hadn't even broken a sweat yet. He finally arrived, finding that Theo wasn't exaggerating.

Lily was pounding into the bag with terrifying ferocity. Many people mistakenly believed that the more a punching bag moved, the harder they were hitting, however that just meant their attacks were slow, and were merely pushing the bag. If the hit was sharp enough, then the bag would bend or flex, since the blow landed sharply enough to push back only where it landed and the rest wouldn't have time to move. The way Lily struck the bag; he could tell that every blow was more than capable of turning bone into kindling.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, something of a mistake given her mindset, as she swung around, catching his arm and throwing him over her shoulder. Only Casey's training allowed him to roll through with the momentum and back to his feet as she turned to him, her face etched in a somewhat bestial snarl. He held his hands up defensively.

"Hey, No Mas!" He called out, looking to her a little concerned. Lily was always intense in battle, going from the bubbly, cheerful girl to a focused and deadly warrior in an instant, but she was always in control. He had only seen her this way a couple of times since he had known her. "Lily, you're scaring away my business."

Lily eased up, relaxing her guard as she finally started to catch her breath. He put a hand around her shoulders cautiously, and led her to a bench, sitting down with her. He looked to his half-sister as they sat, feeling the tension in her.

"Sorry Casey." She whispered. "I was working out in the apartment, but RJ said I was keeping David up, so I came here."

"You know, normally I wouldn't mind, but I'd kind of like that bag to last a little while before I have to replace it." He commented. "Not to mention that you've apparently beaten the hell out of half my morning class."

"Yeah sorry about that." She muttered. "They'll be OK, but I guess I did go a little overboard."

"I'll say." He commented, holding her tightly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

She sighed, looking to her wedding ring sadly. RJ had tried to talk to her a few times, but she kept brushing him off in favour of working off her aggression. She just couldn't shake her feelings of anger that the kid who had almost taken the man she loved from her, that had almost shot her and her son was probably only a day away from being released. It was only when she saw Casey, and realised she had attacked her 'little brother', that she had realised how much this was harming her. She took a deep breath.

"I take it you've heard about the hearing." She replied. Casey nodded.

"I guess I can understand you being freaked." He assured her. "If it was me, I doubt I'd have been much different."

"I just can't believe there's nothing we can do about this." She groaned, running a hand through her hair. "We thought about a restraining order, but apparently that could take ages to set up. Not to mention it isn't exactly a force field he couldn't just cross if he felt like it and if he does go back to school..."

"Whoa, back up there a minute." Casey interrupted her. "He wants to go back to school?"

"Apparently he's a few points from graduating." She told him. "According to Fran, since his actions could have been down to his condition, his expulsion doesn't need to be final. It's up to Donny if he'll take him back or not."

"Do you really think he will?" Casey asked. Lily just shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know." She whispered in response. "I don't care where he goes Casey; I really don't, as long as he doesn't come back here!"

"I can understand that, but beating up my customers isn't really going to help you much is it?" He asked her.

"I just want to be ready." She said under her breath. Casey had already heard about her threats against Mike, and just hugged her tightly.

"You know I understand how you feel, but there's a big difference between being ready in case something happens, and causing it to happen." He assured her, parting from her and looking into her eyes.

"He shot RJ and I did nothing." She reminded him. "He turned that gun on me and David and all I could do was stare at him. If it wasn't for Liv's animal spirit, we'd all have been dead; I can't just let him..."

"You can't let fear of something that may not even happen ruin your life." He told her. "You did what any mother would; you were taking care of your baby."

He held her hand and smiled a little.

"You and RJ aren't helpless, and the kids are a lot stronger now. You were scared for the kids." He assured her. "I doubt Mike would be dumb enough to try anything..."

"If he does I'll..."

"And how exactly will you be protecting your kids if you do that?" He asked her. "This is California. Murder's a capital offence here. At best, you'd end up in prison for the rest of your life. Where would David and Liv be if they lost their mom?"

"I guess I hadn't thought about that." Lily muttered.

"Liv's already lost one set of parents." He reminded her. "I doubt losing another mom is really going to be the best thing for her, do you?"

"I guess not." Lily replied, managing to force a smile. "You really did hang around my husband too much back in the day didn't you? You sound just like him."

Casey held his hands up, and began waving them in an overly expressive manner as RJ did, and imitated his voice.

"You could say he rubbed off on me my young Cheetah." He told her. Lily just laughed and hugged him tightly. Casey was only too happy to return the gesture.

Over at the school, shop class was just wrapping up for the day, but Johnny and Fred had already arranged to stay back for a little while to work on the engine for The Fury. They had started to assemble it, and were making good progress, so they were keen to keep going and complete it, ready for installation in the next lesson.

"I still can't believe you got all the parts we were looking for from the Wreckers' yard." Johnny commented. "I was sure we were going to have to order in some parts."

"Your Uncle was really cool about letting me look around." Fred told him with a shrug. "I think I'm going to like it there."

"He mentioned he gave you a job." Johnny said with a little smile. "Apparently Nero's got a new buddy."

"Hey, for the cost of a meatball sub, you get a friend for life." He replied. Johnny put down his wrench.

"I heard you're going to be part of that tournament at the weekend." He stated. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"Well, I like to stay in shape. I do a little kickboxing." He replied with a shrug. "It's been years since I've ridden a bike. When I was a kid my mom was a housekeeper for a family whose daughter was really into dirt biking. I haven't been on a bike since I was about 12."

"I doubt you can really forget that much." Johnny laughed. "I guess it's just like falling..."

"Don't even start!" Fred warned him with a laugh. He made some adjustments, before taking a look at it. "You know, I think we might be ready for a test run."

"Fire her up then." Johnny instructed him. Fred started up the engine, hearing it burst into life. It growled at them like a savage beast, and everything burst into life with all the ferocity they had expected. Johnny and Fred both smiled at each other, whooping loudly and high-fiving.

"You know, I think we've just created a monster." Fred commented.

"That's exactly what we were looking for." Johnny replied, shutting it off. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think a little pizza to celebrate sounds good."

"I guess we could check in on the girls." Fred replied. "Lead the way."


	48. Mike's Hearing

The following morning, RJ was feeding David, taking great care not to mess up his clothing as he did so. Since they were going to the hearing, he had decided it would be best to make an effort, and look presentable, presenting a united front as they heard the proceedings.

RJ was wearing a pair of black suit pants, and a purple shirt that Liv had gotten him for his last birthday. Unusually for him, he was clean shaven. Lily came into the room, finding him fussing over David in an effort to keep his breakfast off his outfit.

"Maybe getting him dressed so early wasn't such a good idea." She suggested. RJ put the dish of beans aside and picked him up.

"I'm beginning to think you might have been right." RJ commented. "Dad's going to be here in a little while."

Lily nodded in understanding. Master Finn and Michael had agreed to take care of the restaurant that morning to allow them to go to the hearing. He came over, kissing her softly.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her. Lily nodded in response.

"Casey kind of talked some sense into me." Lily told him. "I know I kind of went a little psycho there. The thought of what he did, it just terrifies me."

"Hey, it scares me too. I was the one that ended up in hospital remember?" He asked her. He held her in one arm, and David in the other, smiling a little. "You know that my family's the most important thing in the world to me. As much as I love everything we have, the restaurant, this place...none of it would mean anything if I didn't have you. All of you."

"Speaking of which, there's someone else I still have to talk to." Lily told him, separating from him, and looking to the floor a little ashamed. "Liv was really freaked out by the way I flipped out. I should really go and straighten things out with her."

She kissed her husband once more, before heading through to Liv's room. The younger girl was sitting in her bed, reading a textbook as she waited. Lily roused her attention by knocking on the door gently.

"Do you mind if I come in?" She asked. Liv just sighed and nodded as she threw the book aside. Lily came in, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.

"I'm just trying not to think about it." Liv answered her honestly. "I thought if I did a little studying it would help, but I just can't concentrate. I think I've read the same page about a hundred times."

"I understand." Lily assured her. "I also know that I haven't exactly been the most attentive mom."

"I understand..."

"That's just it though, you shouldn't need to understand." Lily cut her off apologetically. "I'm meant to be the adult here. We were all freaked when we heard about this, but instead of being there when you needed me, I decided to go all momma bear psycho girl and start throwing out death threats all over the place. I just wanted you to know I'm sorry."

Liv just nodded as Lily put a hand on her shoulder, but she still wasn't looking at her, and she was still a little quiet for Lily's liking. She furrowed her brows as she noticed this.

"We are cool right?" Lily asked her. "I mean, is anything else bothering you?"

"It's nothing." She sighed. Lily just looked at her in a way that indicated she didn't buy that story for a moment.

"Hey, this is me you're talking to." She told her. "I'm the good mom, not the psycho that chases off half Casey's business because she feels the need to satisfy her inner savage."

"It's just..." Her words tailed off, indicating that there was something she didn't feel comfortable talking to her about.

"Hey, you can talk to me right?" Lily asked her. "I'd hate to think I'd screwed that up. You don't need to worry, you can tell me anything. Even if it is something I don't want to hear."

"It's just...when you went off the way you did, it really scared me." Liv admitted. Lily just sighed.

"I guess I can understand that." She replied. "It took me a while to realise it, but I guess all that talk of...well, you know...I guess it has to have been pretty scary. I know it can't have been easy hearing me talk like that. You've lost enough to violence. You don't need to worry, I'm in control now. As much as this thing scares me, I know better than to let it control me."

Lily smiled at her.

"You don't need to worry kiddo. I've got no intentions of going anywhere." She assured her. Liv forced a smile, but it quickly faded. She swallowed deeply as she prepared to tell Lily something.

"It was more than that." She told her. "When you were...you know..."

"It's alright, you can tell me." Lily told her. Liv looked at her, a few tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"When I saw the look in your eyes, it really terrified me." She told her. "It reminded me of dad. You know...my biological dad."

Lily felt her heart deflating as she heard Liv say this. It hadn't occurred to her what her behaviour was doing to her daughter. She pulled Liv into a long, deep hug, holding her tightly.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered into her ear, before pulling her away a little. "I never want you to feel like that again. I promise you that I would never raise a hand to you like your father did. You know that right?"

She pulled her in, holding her daughter tightly and felt a couple of tears roll down her face as her disappointment in herself as a mother hit her. She could understand now what she had done to Liv, and it broke her heart. She had never felt like such a failure as a mother as she had in that moment.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again.

In another part of town, Mike was busy getting dressed in a suit ahead of his hearing. His lawyer came into his room with a small smile on his face.

"Are you nearly ready?" He asked. Mike just nodded in response, before looking to the bed. He had been stuck here, in this institution ever since the shooting. His feelings about the hearing were mixed. He hated this place, waking up within the same walls, hearing the same soul-chilling howls and screams every day, but at the same time the thought of leaving almost terrified him more. The walls provided security. The guards and the treatments provided routine, familiarity. Once he left, although he would be going back to his mom's place, he would be largely on his own. There would be no guards to protect him, no one to tell him what to do or when to do it. He would have to fend for himself, and he was already painfully aware of the fact that many people were far from happy at the idea that he was coming back to Ocean Bluff. The lawyer smiled. "I'll bet your own bed will be far more comfortable than that."

"Perhaps." Mike said quietly. "Are you really that confident?"

"The doctor's reports are very convincing." He assured him. "Just relax and leave it to me."

He pulled out a small box, handing it to Mike.

"It seems not everyone in Ocean Bluff is against you." He told him. "This arrived in my office this morning, addressed to you. The card just said it was from a well-wisher."

Mike opened the box, finding a small, silver dragon pendant inside. It was mounted on a length of leather thong. Mike furrowed his brow looking at it.

"I'll bet it's one of your friends." The lawyer said with a little grin. "Maybe it's a girlfriend. I remember hearing you were a bit of a ladies' man back in the day."

"I doubt either." Mike sighed. "I haven't exactly had a huge mailing list since I came here. Most of my friends disappeared after...well...you know."

"Whoever sent it, it does show that not everyone is against you." The lawyer told him. "Maybe you should remember that."

With that, Mike put the pendant around his neck, tucking it into his shirt. He turned to the lawyer and took a deep breath.

"My mom...?"

"She's waiting at the hearing." He told him. "You'll see her soon enough."

With that, he led the young man from the treatment room. Mike followed him, not entirely certain what the hearing would entail. As they arrived outside, where a vehicle was waiting to take him to the court house, he took another look back at the asylum, before getting in and taking a seat.

Over at the school, Fran was taking a senior class, but had basically designed the lesson plan for the day around having them read the text they were studying. She was more than a little distracted. She was nervous to see the outcome of the case, and as a result, her concentration was left wanting.

"Thank you for that Kevin." She stated, shaking her head as she realised he had stopped reading. "Emma, why don't you take the next reading?"

She checked her watch as the girl started reading, realising that it was about time for the hearing to start. While she loved her job, right now she wished she could be at the hearing for her friends.

At the court house, Lily, Liv, Johnny and RJ filed into their seats, ready for the hearing to begin. Lily cradled David closely to keep him quiet as the rest of the audience arrived. Since this wasn't strictly speaking a court case, since Mike had never been convicted of any crime, there wasn't a jury. Instead, in this instance, there was a panel at the front of the court room, made up of the judge, and a couple of men in suits. As soon as the guards had finished getting the crowd into the room, the judge picked up his notes, and read the title.

"The next case is the appeal for release on behalf of Mike Bishop from the secure psychiatric facility." He announced. "Bailiff, please show Mr. Bishop in."

The bailiff went into the hall, before leading Mike into the room. Liv and Johnny looked to each other as he came in, a little surprised to see how much he had changed. He had lost a considerable amount of muscle mass from when they had last seen him, likely as a result of not spending so much time in the gym. He looked to them, and then looked away again, as though unable to look at them. He stood, facing the panel.

"Mr. Bishop, you know why you're here. This hearing is not a trial; it is merely a forum wherein we will decide whether or not you continue to present a danger to the public at large. The hearing will be presided over by myself, Judge Richard Umbridge, along with Dr. Henry Thomas of the Ocean Bluff Psychiatric Unit, and Leona Davis of Social Services. You may be seated."

Mike took a seat, just as he had been instructed. His lawyer stood up.

"We all know why we're here today. Indeed, anyone who has read a local tabloid will know why we're here." He began. "My client is the first one to admit that he has done many terrible things, not least of which was the violent incident in Jungle Karma Pizza that led to his incarceration. It is my understanding that the victims of that incident are in attendance today."

RJ took Lily's hand in a comforting gesture, while Liv put an arm around her.

"Mike Bishop is a seriously ill young man. As a result of some personal hardships, and some, by his own admission, far from admirable life choices, his mental state left him highly volatile, leading to sociopathic tendencies, violent outbursts and dangerous and reckless behaviour." He continued. "My client is the first to admit that when he was removed from society, it was the best thing in the interests of the safety of society. He openly acknowledges that he was a threat to those around him, and even to himself. However, it is the belief of myself, and the staff at the institution that he is no longer a threat."

He turned to the audience, and his gaze rested upon RJ and his family.

"Ocean Bluff has no reason to forgive Mike Bishop for what he did. However, it is my intention today to satisfy the court that the Mike Bishop before you today is not the same Mike Bishop who did the despicable things you all read about." He told them. "I would like to begin by inviting Mr. Bishop to the stand and allow him to tell us in his own words what his time in the hospital has meant to him."

Mike reluctantly got up, and made his way to the stand, preparing to face the panel, but more terrifying to him was the thought of facing the people he had hurt the most. His hand strayed to the pendant, reminding himself that even though he had no idea who it was, someone else believed in him.

"Mike, I'd like you to start by telling us a little about your home situation." The lawyer told him.

"My mom and dad divorced a few years ago." Mike told them. "I put on a brave face, you know, I tried to be the tough guy and pretend it didn't bother me. I was the man of the house, and I wanted to live up to that."

"Your father no longer lives in Ocean Bluff does he?" The Lawyer asked him. Mike shook his head.

"He left town shortly after the divorce." He informed him. "I saw him a couple of times across the couple of years after that, but it has been about two years since I last saw him."

"That must have been very hard for you." The lawyer said sympathetically.

"I'm not looking for sympathy." Mike told him. "I know that doesn't excuse what I did."

"Tell me a little about your relationship with Johnny Mancusso." The lawyer told him. "I understand you butted heads a few times before the incident."

"Johnny was involved in a fight with a couple of my friends." Mike told him. "I can't really explain what I was thinking. My friends were older than him, and they were angry with him because he beat them onto the wrestling team. They attacked him."

"We could understand you being upset with him if he hurt your friends..."

"I couldn't." Mike answered him honestly. "They attacked him. He was within his rights to defend himself. If anything I agreed with him for what he did, but they were friends, so I acted on their behalf. I ended up putting him in hospital."

"You took things too far." The Lawyer replied. "How did you feel about it?"

"Honestly, it made me feel good." He told him. "Making someone else hurt, having someone else suffer made me feel like I wasn't helpless. It made me feel powerful, like there was something in my life that I was in control of."

"Your doctors said that one of the symptoms of your illness were sociopathic tendencies." The lawyer continued. "So much happened to you that you couldn't control that anything you could control made you feel good..."

"Even if I hated myself afterwards." Mike admitted. He looked over to where Liv was sitting. "My relationship with Ms. Tennant was one example, but the one I regret more than anything was what I did to Olivia James."

"I understand that you dated for a while..."

"I wouldn't call it that." He responded. "I manipulated her at a time when she was vulnerable. In my dispute with Johnny, I used her. I still hold it as the most shameful thing I've ever done. I hurt her dreadfully, and for that, I'll never forgive myself."

"If you feel up to it, I'd like to talk about what happened at Jungle Karma Pizza." The Lawyer replied. "What were you thinking of when you went there?"

"Things had gone completely out of control for me. I had thrown everything away." Mike told him. "I had been expelled from school for cheating. Mom was going to make me work in the factory, but in my arrogance I thought that was just to humiliate me. I called dad to try and talk to him, but he wouldn't answer my calls."

He looked to the panel regretfully.

"I saw the way Mr and Mrs James supported Liv, the family she had...I just saw it and I couldn't believe anyone could have that." He admitted. "I saw what she had and I resented it. I couldn't believe it was real. I was so angry and bitter at everything, that what they had, it just felt like they were taunting me, and I couldn't take it."

"Thank you for that." The lawyer told him. "I'd like to go on and talk a little about the treatments you've received, but first, I understand that the James family are here today, and although it is against my advice, I understand that you asked for me to give them the opportunity to speak."

"I think they deserve it." Mike told him. The Lawyer turned to the James family.

"Would any of the James family like to speak?" He asked them. They looked among each other, before RJ stood up and made his way out onto the floor.


	49. Mike's Verdict

RJ paced in the courtroom, uncertain as to what exactly to say or do. He had only really gone up since he didn't want to put Lily in that position for her sake, but now he was beginning to regret it.

Although he had kept his cool a lot more than Lily had, but he still had his own reservations, not least because in the incident that landed Mike here, he had been shot. He could still remember every detail of how it felt when the bullet tore through him. He remembered feeling his warm blood trickling through his fingers, and feeling himself fading, the fear he felt when he started to wonder if he would survive, or if he would leave his family behind.

There was so much he wanted to know, to be sure of before he could feel like he could relax with Mike coming back to town. He knew that Mike was under oath, he knew that the doctors had observed him closely, he was still fearful that he had somehow managed to pull a fast one.

"Mr. James..."

"I'm sorry your honour, I'm just trying to think." He told the judge as he tried to compose himself. "Mike, I think you understand well exactly why I'm more than a little curious as to your motivations for coming back to town."

"I can understand that Mr. James." Mike assured him. "I know that the things I did to your family are unforgiveable..."

"Anyone can say it, but I need to know that you're actually legitimate." He told him. "You got a teenage girl drunk and tried to have sex with her..."

"Believe me, in all the time at the hospital I've had nothing to do but think about what I've done to the people around me." He interrupted RJ. "I've thought about what I've put Liv through more than a few times. If I thought that apologising to her would do any good I would, but I know that no matter what I say, the words will only sound hollow. I can only hope that in time I can convince you all that I have changed."

"You turned a gun on my family." He reminded the young man. "You shot me. I was out of action for weeks because of you. If that bullet had been a couple of inches any other way..."

"I know, and you have to understand that I have no intention of acting against you." He told them. "Even if I was allowed a gun, I never want to own one again. I still get nightmares about the night I did that to you."

He fidgeted in his chair as he looked to the panel.

"Since I started my treatments, since I started taking the meds, I've seen things a lot more clearly. I've been able to understand how much pain I've caused, and although I know you couldn't ever believe me on this, every ounce of pain I've ever caused another person I've felt harshly, and I could never bring myself to do anything like that to another person. I never want to cause any more pain."

RJ wasn't completely convinced, but he could see that Mike was very upset with his predicament, and from his expression, the young man at very least believed that he was telling the truth. RJ just nodded, giving him a slightly warning glare. He had to be mindful of the fact he was in a courtroom, so there wasn't much he could do, but he gave him a wordless warning to stay away from his family. RJ turned to the panel.

"I have no further questions." He told them, before returning to his seat. Lily put an arm around him, as he reached across, stroking David softly.

"Thank you for your time Mr. James, I understand this must have been difficult for you." The judge responded. "We will now here from an expert witness, the chief therapist in Mr. Bishop's treatment, Dr. Edward Fisher."

In another part of town, Fred was using some of his lunch break to get a little bit of work done on The Fury. He and Johnny had managed to finish putting the engine together, and right now he was in the process of giving it a few tweaks. He heard the distinctive clicking of Julie's cane and smiled.

"You know, some people actually use their lunchtime to eat." She said a little sarcastically as she put a brown paper bag on his workbench. "I brought you something."

"Thanks." He responded. He took the bag and looked inside; finding the sandwiches his mother had made him that morning. He had forgotten to collect them from his locker when he had finished his last class. He looked to his sister. "How did you get into my locker?"

"Please, you always use the same combination." She sighed. "You always use her birthday."

"I guess I have become a bit predictable." He grumbled, putting the bag aside. Julie just took a seat on a nearby stool as Fran came into the workshop. Fred looked up as she approached him.

"What can I do for you Mrs. Martin?" He asked her.

"Have you seen the new girl Veronica?" Fran asked him. "You know, so tall, Goth kid, bit of a loner."

"Not since yesterday." He replied with a shrug. "I saw her outside Mr. Weaver's office when she signed up. Why?"

"She didn't come to my class this morning." Fran told them. "I already checked, she was in her first two periods, but then she disappeared."

"Usually kids take a couple of weeks before they start skipping classes." He remarked as he wiped his hands off on a rag. "So how did you find me?" Fran just looked at him in disbelief.

"You're awake, and you're not in class, where else would you be but with this rust bucket?" She asked him. She looked to the car, furrowing her brows as she considered it. "Um...it's looking very different than I remember."

"Yeah, we're giving it an overhaul." He told her with a smile. "It's mostly just bodywork left. I reckon we could have it finished by Christmas."

"Are you sure it's street legal?" Fran asked him.

"Barely." Fred told her with a shrug. "We did a lot of research to make sure we could get this bad boy on the road."

"Well, just remember you have other classes too." Fran told him. "I've got to go. I'd like to catch up with Veronica before anyone notices her cutting classes. Everyone should get a little leeway till they get used to a new school."

"So I can cut...?"

"You're not new anymore Fred!" Fran warned him. "Your free pass has expired. I'll expect to see you this afternoon."

Meanwhile, in the woods just outside of town, Veronica leapt through the trees, landing nimbly in a branch several feet from the ground in a crouch. She had remembered the route Gabby had taken to find this place from when she followed her, but it was now time for the next part of her mission.

Master Phant was wandering around his garden, tending to his plants, oblivious to her presence. He looked to be completely at ease in this place. He was humming contentedly as he went, even talking to some of his plants. She would have laughed at the display of the pathetic, lonely old hermit if she hadn't been concentrating on her assignment.

Master Phant put away his tools, before turning to a hidden path behind his home. Veronica had been right; this was indeed the time she had been waiting for. Keeping out of sight, she followed him as he made his way through the woods.

Master Phant stopped as he thought he heard something, and turned around, but could see no one. He used all his keen senses to scan around, but he couldn't find any sign of anyone. He shrugged, figuring that he had simply heard some woodland creature, and went back on his way. He was always nervous when he used this route. Where he was going, it would be courting disaster if anyone followed him. Obviously he was just becoming paranoid in his old age.

Back at the courtroom, the chief physician stepped down from the stand after his testimony. RJ, Lily, David, Liv and Johnny were still sitting in the audience, listening to the proceedings as they supported each other.

"We've now heard all of the evidence in this case, we will now recess to discuss the evidence and return with our decision in thirty minutes." The judge announced, banging his gavel. Mike and his lawyer started to confer as Liv leaned across to Lily, placing a hand on her elbow. After their talk earlier in the day she was worried this might set her off again.

"Whatever happens, we'll get through it." RJ assured his wife as he held David closely. Lily just nodded.

"I'll be alright." She told them. "I just want this to be over one way or another."

Meanwhile, inside the jury room, the judge arrived with the other two members of the panel. The bailiff opened the door, allowing them inside.

"The coffee should be set up by now." He told them. As they turned to the table though, the judge looked a little curious. He walked over to it, where he found a strange item in the middle of the table by the coffee pots.

It was a glass orb, about the size of a bowling ball, inside which was a golden dragon statue. It looked like a snow globe, but as the judge inspected it, he just seemed confused.

"What is this?" He asked.

"I don't know your honour." The Bailiff responded. "It wasn't here when I came in a few minutes ago. The door's been locked..."

"Who put this in here?" He asked. He reached out for the globe, touching it, at which the room was bathed in a deep red glow. All four men just stared at it, mesmerised as the dragon seemed to writhe and move. It turned towards them, its eyes glowing, and a flash ripped through the room, at which everything returned to normal. The judge just blinked as he looked around the room. No one knew what had happened, and by the time they came to, the orb had disappeared. The judge looked to the rest of the panel, who all nodded.

"Bailiff, recall the courtroom." He instructed him. "We've made our decision."

Out in the woods, Master Phant continued along the path, unaware of the fact Veronica was following him.

The stranger secreted herself behind some leaves on a branch high above him as he came to a crossroads. She watched as he bent down, stroking the earth below him softly with his fingertips. She watched on as the air before him started to ripple and shimmer. She knew that there would be mystical protections here; she just needed to see where it was.

She watched as Master Phant stood up, and walked through the shimmer, before disappearing from view. She smiled as she saw this. She had found the entrance at last.

Leaping from the tree, she landed on the ground almost fifty feet below with catlike agility, before rising to full height, sweeping her long coat behind her. Walking straight forward, she went on through the crossroads, only to find herself appearing at it again. She sneered at the mystical enchantment protecting the entrance from unwanted visitors.

"Child's play." She commented as she pulled out a small dragon amulet. Reaching out, she saw the air start to shimmer and move as it had before, and as she approached, her hand disappeared. She carried on through, finding herself on the other side of the barrier.

There, she found a large, sandstone temple before her, with a staircase extending up almost thirty feet to the main plateau. All around the large stepped sides of the pyramid were ruined statues of ancient Mystic Knights, Ninja legends, and Pai Zhuq masters. She smirked and nodded.

"Thank you Elephant Master." She commented as she turned to leave. "Now I know where to find The Vault. Everything's going to plan."

Back in the courtroom, everyone was brought back into the main room as the judge and the panel took their seats. The judge gestured to Mike.

"Would you please rise?" He asked. Mike did as he was told, accompanied by his lawyer. The audience did likewise, his mother looking around at the crowd cautiously. Lily took a deep breath as she awaited their verdict.

"After careful consideration of the evidence, as well as the testimony we've heard, we have found this a very difficult case to judge. The crimes you committed were very serious, though we all believe you are well aware of the possible consequences of your actions."

He shifted a little in his seat.

"However, we have taken into account the testimony of your doctors, your conduct reports from the hospital staff, and the remorse you have shown for your actions. It is for these reasons that we have decided that the hospital is not the best place for your continued rehabilitation."

There were a few murmurs from the courtroom. Mike breathed a sigh of relief and settled into his chair as his lawyer shook his hand. Johnny held Liv tightly, whispering something in her ear reassuringly.

"Your doctors have prescribed you a course of medication, together with regular appointments to see psychiatrists to continue your counselling." The judge continued. "However, for now, we see no reason to believe you present any significant danger to the public, and release you back into the public, subject to finding suitable accommodations. We believe your mother is willing to accommodate you?"

"That is correct your honour." Mike told him.

"Then it is the ruling of this court that you are released immediately." He replied, hammering his gavel. "You are free to go."

Lily and her family all got up and left the courtroom, leaving Mike to celebrate his release with his lawyer, though his mother just turned and left the room to head to the parking lot. His victory felt a little hollow. Although he had been released, nobody, not even his own mother seemed to believe that he had every intention of changing, of simply moving on with the rest of his life.

As his lawyer congratulated him, but in reality seemed more excited about bolstering his own statistics, Mike reached to his shirt, feeling the dragon necklace he had been given by his mystery supporter. He wished he knew who it was, right now he could do with someone who believed in him, and he knew that they were in short supply. He knew that getting back to Ocean Bluff wasn't going to be easy, not least because it wasn't as though anyone there really had any reason to cut him a break. With the exception of this one person who wouldn't even tell him a name, he was on his own.


	50. Mike's New Friend

The following day, Mike's release was the biggest story in the papers. Everyone now knew that Mike was back on the streets following the hearing.

In his home, Mike woke up with his radio alarm, but let out a deep sigh as he heard the news. He knew that coming back to the city would be difficult. It wasn't like anyone in the city didn't know what he had done, and thanks to the media, it was unlikely anyone would be able to forget. He pressed the button, turning off the radio as he headed through to the en-suite to shower.

He and his mother were going to the school that morning to talk to Mr. Walker about the possibility of returning to school. While his expulsion was no longer clear-cut since his conduct was ruled to be down to his mental state, Mike was now over 18, so the school had no legal obligation to offer him an education. He was sure that Donny would probably have to consider the potential backlash from parents if he was readmitted to the school, and it wasn't as if they had any reason really to consider letting him go back. He knew that he was basically going back to beg them to give him a chance.

As he pulled off his top, he looked to the dragon pendant he was still wearing. He still had no idea who would want to support him, he had to admit himself that it wasn't as though he had done much to deserve it, but it was something of a comforting thought that he wasn't facing the whole world alone.

Over in JKP, Liv was finishing her breakfast as Johnny arrived, dropping his bag in the corner as he made his way to the kitchenette. Lily just sighed as she saw this. She was used to Johnny helping himself to a little breakfast most mornings, ever since he and Liv got together, he was round there pretty much all the time.

"You know it would probably save time if you just moved here." She commented. "Seriously Johnny, doesn't your uncle feed you?"

"I'm a growing boy." He replied with a smirk. He was trying to keep the mood light this morning. Mike's release was playing on all their minds, and he was hoping to keep Liv's mind off it. "Has RJ decided if we're setting up a table at the tournament this weekend?"

"He's already got the propane tanks for the cooker." She assured him. "It should be fun."

"I'm really looking forward to it." Liv told him. "I'll be cheering for Fred."

"Well there's family loyalty for you." RJ chuckled as he arrived with Casey, having accompanied him on a run. "What about your uncle Casey? He's competing."

"You know I want him to do well, but Fred's a friend." She explained. "You know I don't mean anything by it."

"I understand." Casey replied as he went to Lily, snatching a glass of OJ from her hand finishing it in one gulp as she gave him an annoyed look. "Camille said she's just looking forward to getting her husband back."

"I'll get more juice." Lily grumbled as she took the glass back off Casey and went to the dishwasher.

"Anyway, we should probably be making our way." Liv told them, gathering her things and grabbing Johnny as he tucked into a croissant. "See you later."

Veronica arrived at the school, taking a look around as the kids started to arrive, swarming around like cockroaches. She sneered in disgust as she watched them. Although her mission required her to blend in, she hated her fellow teenagers with a vengeance. If she didn't have to be here, she would gladly leave, but she knew that her absence the previous day would likely already have been noticed. Her suspicion was confirmed as she saw Donny coming over to her.

"Veronica, you missed all your afternoon classes." He said, intimating that it was more a request for an explanation than a statement.

"I felt unwell." She lied outright, thinking of the first thing that came to mind. "I went home."

"Well you're new here so perhaps you're unaware we have a procedure to follow." He told her. "I imagine in future you'll report to the office and let us know if you feel unwell."

"Of course sir." She replied. "Sorry."

Just then, Fran arrived, interjecting herself into the conversation.

"Donny, I wanted to talk to you about something." She told him. "Can we go to your office?"

"No problem, we're finished here." He replied as they left. Veronica was glad for Fran's interruption. Although she could sense the power of Fran's animal spirit, and knew she was a potential problem, she seemed to be ignorant of her true reason for being at the school.

As a large, black car arrived, she looked over and smiled to see Mike getting out the passenger seat, placing his bag over one shoulder.

"Everything's falling into place." She commented to herself as he came up to the main door, heading through the metal detector. Although he triggered it, the security guard satisfied himself with a quick search that he wasn't armed. Veronica followed him as he made his way to the office.

Fran was in the office discussing something with Donny when Mike arrived, and by the way she fell silent as she saw him, he could guess they were probably talking about him. Fran looked to Donny.

"Just think about what I said." She replied as she made her way out, brushing past Mike. He just stepped aside to let her leave.

"Mr. Bishop, I heard I might be seeing you." Donny commented. "Please, take a seat."

Mike closed the door and sat in the chair in front of Donny's desk as the principal caught his breath. Neither of them were aware Veronica was just outside the office listening in.

"No doubt you're aware there are some strong feelings about you returning to town." Donny began, putting down a newspaper. Mike had already seen it, his picture had been on the front page of virtually every tabloid in town.

"I know all about the papers." Mike assured him. "I don't want any trouble. I just want to get by."

"I take it you're here to re-enter the school." Donny told him. "You have to understand, I have a responsibility to all the students who go here. If there are any concerns, I have to take that seriously."

"I passed a new school policy while you were away. No student is permitted to bring a gun to school." He told him. "A first offence..."

"I saw the metal detectors, but you don't need to worry. I don't own a gun anymore." Mike interrupted him. "I swore to myself when I was being treated that I'd never touch a gun again."

"You should also know that I do not tolerate violence in school." He told him. Mike shook his head.

"I don't want any trouble, I just want to graduate." Mike assured him. "I don't even train anymore. I have no desire to fight."

"I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, so I'll give you a chance." Donny told him. "You can enrol here, but make no mistake this IS a trial period. If I hear of any misconduct, I won't have any second thoughts about expelling you."

"Thank you sir." Mike replied as he got up, shaking Donny's hand.

"Go and see the secretary." He instructed him. "She'll print off a copy of your schedule."

As Mike left the office, he stopped as he saw Veronica approach him.

"So you're the celebrity." She began as she offered him a hand. Mike just shook it and turned to leave.

"I really don't want..."

"Are you still wearing my pendant?" She asked him. Mike stopped dead in his tracks as he heard this. He hadn't told anyone about the pendant, not even his mother. The only way she could have known was if she was telling the truth and had sent it to him.

"You sent me this?" He asked her. "Why?"

"Let's just say I have my own family issues. I know what families can do to their kids." She told him. "I just wanted you to know that not everyone believes what the papers say."

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name's Veronica." She told him as they continued on their way. "But you can consider me a friend."

In Storm Chargers, Charity was working on the computer, finalising the lists of competitors for the weekend's tournament when Warren came into the store. She smiled as she saw him.

"What can we do for you today?" Charity asked him.

"Is Gabby around?" He asked her. Charity nodded.

"She's out the back." Charity told him. "Gabby, someone to see you!"

Gabby came through from the back, wiping her hands off on a rag as she did so. She knew that Warren was in town for the competition, and she had seen him around, but so far he had kept his distance. She just came over to him slowly.

"Warren..."

"I just wanted to clear the air before the weekend." He told her. "I had nothing to do with the accident..."

"I know that." Gabby cut him off. "Is that everything?"

"Look, this isn't exactly easy for me either." He told her. "I just want a fair shot at the tournament, so I wanted to make sure that we were alright."

"Look, I know you didn't spike me, but you can understand why I'm a little apprehensive." Gabby told him. "However, I can tell you for a fact, that I'll be fair."

"I guess that's about all I can hope for." He replied as he started to leave. He paused at the door. "For what it's worth, if you had landed that trick, you'd have beaten me to the trophy for sure. You were amazing out there."

"Thanks." Gabby replied. As he left, Charity looked back to her boss.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Charity asked her.

"I'll be fine." Gabby assured her. "It's like he said, it wasn't his fault."

"Yeah, but I can understand you not wanting to be reminded of that spill." Charity replied. "I still haven't been back to the skate park I had my accident at."

"I'll be fine." Gabby reiterated. Charity was right about her not wanting to remember her accident, after that she had been laid up for months while her leg healed. Of course Charity's words had given her a certain amount of perspective. While she had been injured for some time, she had recovered, and while she was recovering, she had ended up getting the idea for the store and starting her new business. All in, things had worked out for the best. "Anyway, I have a magazine rack to straighten out."

Back at the school, the day was coming to an end, and Mike was relieved to finally get to go home.

He didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms, but he had spent the entire day under scrutiny. He felt every pair of eyes on him as he walked down the hall, or when he was in class. He saw every person that was whispering or who suddenly stopped talking when he walked by. All in, this was worse than being at the hospital. He knew that everyone was just waiting for the moment he would snap. He popped a pill out of his pocket and took it with a swig of water.

"Hey Bishop!" He heard a voice behind him call out. He turned around to see a couple of senior kids approaching him. The nearest one hit him with a hard right cross, sending him to the ground. He stared up at them from the ground.

"Do you remember me?" His attacker asked. "How about my kid brother Josh? The freshman kid you and your friends beat down every morning all last year? Well think of this as payback!"

The three of them descended on Mike, kicking him repeatedly in the ribs and head. Mike just covered up as much as he could, but made no effort to fight back. From a little way off, Veronica just watched. She didn't move to intervene, instead just watching with interest to see what he would do. She knew Mike was experienced in MMA, and he could fight back if he wanted, but he didn't do anything to defend himself.

The beating was interrupted as Fred rushed in, grabbing one of the three seniors and throwing him to the ground. The others turned to face him as he stood over Mike. Julie knelt down next to Mike as Fred faced off against his attackers.

"That's enough!" He snapped. As the other teenager got up, the three looked at him in disgust.

"He deserved everything that's coming to him!" One of them roared. "Do you know what that scumbag did?"

"I don't know and I don't care!" Fred answered. "When I see three guys kicking the shit out of a guy who's already on the ground, that's all I care about."

"He deserves it!" One of them reiterated. Fred shook his head.

"He's done!" He replied. "Leave him alone!"

The three seniors just walked away, leaving Fred and Julie alone with Mike. Veronica took this opportunity to come out of her hiding place as Fred helped him to his feet. Mike pulled out a handkerchief and started dabbing his lip to clean himself up as Veronica arrived.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved." Mike told him.

"That's a pretty strange way to say thank you." Julie responded. Mike just sighed.

"What happened?" Veronica asked him.

"Karma." Mike replied as he looked to Fred and Julie. "Thanks, but you shouldn't have done that. You don't want the fallout..."

"Let us worry about that." Fred told him. "Those guys were stomping your head in. Why didn't you fight back?"

"I don't want violence in my life." Mike replied with a shrug. "It only leads to bad things, and I've done more than enough bad stuff."

"Doing nothing while three guys kick your head in isn't noble it's stupid!" Julie chipped in. Just then, Johnny and Liv arrived, and saw the state Mike was in.

"What happened?" Johnny asked him.

"It's nothing, I'll live." He replied. "Thanks."

As he walked away, Johnny looked to Fred.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Three guys were beating on him." Fred told him. "I saved him."

"He wasn't even defending himself." Julie told them. "He just kept saying he deserved it..."

"Do you know who that was?" Liv asked her. Julie shook her head. "That was Mike Bishop!"

"The guy that shot RJ?" Fred asked.

"He hurt a lot of people." Johnny told them. "There's no shortage of people who have bad blood with him."

"So we should have let them beat him to a pulp?" Fred asked. Johnny shook his head.

"No, we just want you to understand what he meant." Johnny replied. "You do realise that now you've saved him..."

"It wouldn't be the first time people didn't like us." Julie replied. "Anyway, we should go."

Meanwhile, Veronica was walking with Mike as he headed home. He looked around, seeing her following him as he continued to clean himself up.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked him. Mike just shrugged.

"I've had worse." He assured her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just making sure you get home alright." She told him. "You did get hit pretty hard."

"Some would say not hard enough." Mike replied. Veronica put an arm around him as she joined him on his walk home.

"So why didn't you fight back?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"I don't want violence in my life. I don't even train anymore." He told her. "It doesn't matter anyway. If I was found in a fight, it's not like anyone would believe I didn't start it anyway."

"Well you have one friend at least." Veronica told him. He just looked at her, still a little confused that this stranger was going out of her way to support him.

"Are you sure you want to hitch yourself to this wagon?" He asked her. "Those guys are far from the only people that have a reason to hate me. I doubt that'll be all the trouble I get."

Veronica didn't answer him, she just put a hand behind his head and pulled him in, kissing him. At that time though, she ran a hand over his dragon pendant. Mike didn't notice the eyes glowing as the power took effect. As they parted, she put an arm around him and continued to walk with him.

"You don't have to face the world alone." She told the slightly confused and surprised teenager. "Not everyone will turn their back on you. Come on, I'll see you home."

As they continued on their way, Veronica smiled. She was confident that the next part of her mission was well on its way to fruition.


	51. The Eve of the Tournament

Mike was standing in a dark, lonely place, surrounded only by darkness. He didn't know where he was, or how he had gotten there, but he couldn't deny the fear creeping up in his chest as he spun this way and that, looking for someone or something that could indicate to him where he was.

He suddenly became aware of something in his hand, something cold and metallic. Looking down, his eyes shot open as he realised it was his Beretta. He recoiled in shock, but for some reason found himself unable to let go, to simply get rid of the gun that almost ruined several lives and distance himself from the violence that he no longer wanted in his life. He then looked up as a blue flashing light intermittently split the darkness, and he heard a baby starting to cry.

He looked around, trying to locate the sound as he started to panic, at which he felt something wet and warm hit him. Looking down, he saw that he was now splattered with blood. He started to frantically wipe his hands over himself, trying to remove it and renewing his struggle to release the gun from his grasp, but finding that the blood wouldn't move, and the gun stayed firmly in his hand.

He heard a few more frantic, screaming voices. He remembered those screams, they were the screams of RJ's family as they tried to get him to drop the gun and let them go, to get him help.

"Stop it!" He screamed as he clamped his hands to his head and screwed his eyes closed, trying to shut them out. "Leave me alone!"

The voices and chatter started to become louder and faster, beginning to meld into one unintelligible din that echoed through his skull as the baby's cries continued to assault him, piercing his very brain.

A loud, echoing voice was added to the mix, the police negotiator who tried to talk him down, but quickly his voice also melded into the mix. As Mike opened his eyes, he saw Lily before him, cradling David who was screaming hellishly. He spun around, finding Liv standing over RJ as he slowly bled from his wound, and Johnny standing over by the phone.

They all started to shout and scream at him, but their voices were only the same unidentifiable noise that had been assaulting him since he got here.

"Please, stop it! I'm sorry!" He screamed, but they continued to scream at him. "Leave me alone!"

He turned to Lily and David, seeing Lily screaming at him in anguish, at which he reached out for her, hoping to reassure her that he meant her no harm, only to realise too late that he was still holding the gun.

He heard a huge scream that cut through all the noise and turned around to see Liv unleashing the sound, following which a bright, burning white light rushed into him, smashing him in the face.

Mike sat upright, throwing off the covers of his bed as he started to breathe heavily. He was shivering uncontrollably, but sweating profusely at the same time.

His psychiatrist had warned him that occasionally he might get some memories of what he had done, but this was so much more vivid and terrifying than he had ever experienced.

Looking over to his radio alarm clock, he saw that it was 5:30 AM and groaned. He wasn't likely to get back to sleep now, and it would be just short of a week until his first appointment with his court-appointed therapist. It was also far too early to simply call him and talk about what had just happened to him.

He looked to the bottle of pills on his bedside table. He had been told the recommended dosage, but it had been long enough since his last dose that he knew it wouldn't cause any harm. He threw back a couple of pills and washed them down with a swig of water, before getting up and heading to the shower.

In another part of town, Veronica came round from her deep meditation, sitting in a dark room in an abandoned building. She was surrounded by deep red candles. Getting up, she made her way out of the circle, at which the flames flickered and died. She had felt the visions she sent him through his dragon amulet fading as he awakened, but suddenly the link had just been severed altogether. She didn't know what had cut her off, but she was sure he had seen enough for now. Her plan required him to open his eyes to what had really happened that night while she continued to build his trust in her. If she worked too quickly, she was sure she would drive him away, and right now she needed him.

Later that same morning, Fran was in the parking lot, struggling to get a box out the back of her car when Fred and Johnny came over. Johnny took a box off her.

"Please don't tell us this is homework." Johnny begged her, feeling the weight. Fran shook her head.

"No, I just got my latest lot of coursework." Fran informed them. "For some reason the Education Department sent them to my house instead of the school. I really wish they wouldn't do that."

"I can see why." Fred muttered as he took a couple of boxes, realising they were incredibly heavy, even for him and wondered how exactly a woman Fran's size was expected to transport them herself.

"So, how's the training for tomorrow coming?" Fran asked as she looked to Fred, picking up a box and shutting the trunk as they started to head towards the class. "I heard you're competing."

"Well I have to admit that I haven't been able to afford the same access to a gym as the others, but I've been doing all I can." He told her. "I'm just hoping I don't end up embarrassing myself too badly."

"Well its taking part that counts isn't it?" Fran commented. "It should be a fun day. I'm sure Algie will love it."

"So I guess you're here to get into the auto shop." Fran asked them. "As much as I'd like to think coming in early is down to academic interest, somehow I doubt it."

"The Fury's nearly finished." Johnny said proudly. "We've just got some body panels to attach, put in the glass, and work on the interior. All going well, we should be able to drive home for Christmas break."

"Wow, you two have fairly stormed through the project." Fran complimented them as she shifted the box to one arm and unlocked her classroom door. She allowed them both inside. "Just dump those boxes anywhere."

As they laid their boxes down on Fran's desk, Fred noticed a flyer for the tournament on Fran's desk. He picked it up, and showed it to her.

"I guess you're serious about this." He quipped with a little smile. Fran snatched it off him as she started to blush a little.

"One of my best friends is really into motocross." Lily explained. "I kind of caught the bug OK?"

"Well your secret's safe with us." Johnny assured her. "We'll see you around."

Fran just turned back to the boxes on her desk, starting to sort through the paperwork as they left.

Mike arrived at the school, his head down, hoping not to catch anyone's eye as he made his way to his locker. He was still deeply troubled by what he had seen, but since taking the anti-psychotics, he had largely settled down but he was far from relaxed.

He was desperate to talk to someone about what had happened, but it was a long time until he could see his therapist. At best he'd be able to call to arrange an appointment later in the day, but even then he'd possibly have to wait a couple of days before he could actually see him.

As he closed the door of his locker, he jumped in fright as he saw Veronica standing there waiting. She just smiled at him.

"It's not exactly the most flattering way to greet a girl." She told him. Mike just sighed.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't sleep that well." He replied. She knew he hadn't, the images she had sent him were bound to be terrifying. She was opening up his mind to the truths his mind had suppressed because it didn't understand, and it was a traumatic process. It was necessary to take it slowly, to reveal a little at a time rather than simply flood the mind with it and risk him simply rejecting it because it seemed so ridiculous.

"Well that is flattering." She laughed as she leaned against the lockers, looking into his eyes. "I mean, to hear that you couldn't sleep after..."

"Look, about yesterday." He interrupted her, realising she was talking about the kiss. "Look, I don't know what you're looking for. If you're one of those women who write to serial killers or something I really think..."

"No, it's something entirely different from that." She replied. "Let's just say we have something in common."

"We're both loners?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"OK, two things then." She replied. "We've both spent time 'resting' against our will."

"You mean...?"

"I know what it's like to question everything that goes on in your head." She continued. She rolled up one of her sleeves and unfastened her leather cuff bracelet, showing a couple of scars on her wrist. "In my case, it wasn't someone else I tried to harm."

"I'm sorry." Mike replied, suddenly feeling like there was a chance that there was someone else who knew what was going on with him. As great as the doctors had been, they were still coming from the perspective of people who went home at night to their families and friends. People who hadn't actually gone through it themselves. "What...?"

"It doesn't matter. What happened back then isn't who I am now." She cut him off. She came in front of him, standing before him. "It isn't often I find someone I can identify with. Of course the fact you're not exactly hard on the eyes is a bonus."

"You really want to hang around with the school pariah?" He asked her. "That isn't going to help your popularity."

"Please, I live strictly by the Dilligaf principle." She replied. He looked at her a little confused, to which she gestured to her clothing and smiled. "Do I look like I give a..."

"Right." He responded, feeling a connection to her he couldn't explain. He looked to her a little thoughtfully. "When you were being treated, did you...have dreams?"

"Sometimes." She replied as they turned to begin their journey to their first class. "It was mostly about stuff that had happened, some of the things I had done."

"In my case, it was about...well...I'm sure you can guess." He explained. "It was different though, it was all messed up, and then...the way it ended was really strange."

"How?" Veronica asked.

"It didn't end how I remembered." He commented. "I was sure Johnny had taken me down, but this time, it seemed to have something to do with Liv."

He shook his head clear and reached into his pocket, taking out another couple of pills. He popped them in, before washing them down with a drink from the nearby water fountain.

"I guess I'm just confused." He told her. "I mean, it's just a dream right?"

"Maybe." She commented, before putting her arm around him, being careful not to elaborate and indicate she knew a lot more about his dreams than she was letting on. "Now, how about instead of worrying about that, you worry about how you're going to be taking me to this tournament thing tomorrow."

"I am?" He asked with a little smile. "I doubt I'm the kind of guy your dad would approve of."

"You'd be surprised what my dad approves of." She replied enigmatically, before pulling him in, kissing him.

Over at Storm Chargers, Gabby and Rad were out by the motocross track, overseeing the event crew as they started to set up stuff for the following day. Tents were being erected for crews, stalls for souvenir stands and food vendors were being set up, and banners were being hung. A police officer came over to Gabby with a clip board.

"We've posted notices along the road section of the Iron Man Mrs. Hargan." He reminded her. "The streets are mostly clear, but there're a few stragglers who should be gone by the end of the day. We should be able to mark out the route later tonight."

"Thank you Sergeant." She responded, before turning back to Rad. "So how are things looking on the track?"

"I ran it a couple of times earlier, the sand's great." He confirmed. "They're going to rake it again a few times before we shut down for the day, but things are all looking great for tomorrow."

"Have you heard anything from the beach?" Gabby asked him. He just laughed.

"The buoys marking the course are in place just like the last time you asked an hour ago." He assured her. "Seriously, chill dudette, everything's set! Just chill, it'll be great!"

"Firstly, I'll chill when the arrangements are completed and I can just watch the tournament knowing nothing's going wrong." She told him. "Secondly, how many times must I ask you not to call me dudette?"

With that, she stormed off to continue rushing around making preparations. Rad still found it hilarious to see exactly how stressed she was getting. It was almost as though she thrived on stress. In the last year, she had organised the building of the store and skate park, gone through her wedding, and had now organised this huge event.

"If she keeps this up, she isn't going to make it to 30." He commented, lighting up a joint and taking a drag. "That lady seriously needs to relax."

It was coming to the end of the school day, and Mike was only too thankful that he had managed to make it through the day without any more of the images he had seen in his sleep affecting him. As he headed for the door, he saw Veronica waiting for him and smiled.

"You're waiting for me?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"After the other day I figured you might like someone to walk you home." She replied, taking his arm. "You know, act as a bodyguard?"

"I guess I'd like the company." He replied with a shrug. "But seriously, if those guys show up..."

"I think you'd be surprised what I can do." She told him as she held him closely. She tried to sense his thoughts and see what was going on with the sudden fluctuations in her ability to show him the images she wanted him to see. While she had been using only the smallest amount of her mental powers, fearful of pushing him to hard and shattering the illusion, she was still amazed that someone with seemingly no unexplained abilities would be able to simply shut her down like that. He seemed a little uneasy as she held him.

"Look, I really think you might be moving things a little too quickly for me." He told her honestly. "I just got out, and there's still a lot I need to figure out for myself. I can't do that and be fair to you in a relationship."

"I guess I remember it being hard at first as well." Veronica sighed, releasing his arm and taking a little step away from him. "Would you settle for being friends?"

"I guess I could use one of those right now." He replied with a nod, glad she had taken it so well. "It's not like there's a line of people queuing up for that gig right now."

"So do you still want to go to that X-games thing tomorrow?" She asked him. Mike nodded in response.

"It's that or I help mom with the groceries." He told her, before taking out another pill and putting it in his mouth. As he got out a bottle of water, Veronica's brow creased. A thought came to her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what do they have you on?" She asked him. "For me it was anti-depressants."

"Depression isn't my problem." He replied, showing her the bottle. "Anti-psychotics. They keep me mellow, even out the worst of my moods..."

"Suppress your dreams?" She asked him. He nodded.

"The doctors said I might have some problems with them." He told her. "That's kind of why I wanted to talk to the therapist about the one I had last night."

Veronica accompanied him on the rest of the way, with a nagging thought in the back of her mind. The images she was assaulting him with, the memories she was trying to unlock within him were in his subconscious mind. When he had taken one of the pills, that had reduced the activity in his subconscious and weakened the effect she could have on him. If indeed the medication was making it more difficult for her to affect his mind, then it was possible she would need to come up with a new plan.


	52. The Tournament Tragedy

The weekend began with a bang as the spectators and competitors started to arrive for the tournament. Excitement had been building for some time about the tournament, being one of the first major events being held exclusively by Ocean Bluff's new X-games scene.

Gabby was once again in her element, rushing around and ensuring that everything went to plan. When she wasn't dealing with vendors, or organising where the bigger teams could set up their trailers, she was on the cell phone co-ordinating with the other marshals. There were numerous events between the nearby beach and the park, ranging through BMX, Motocross, Surfing, and skateboarding, though of course, the main event was the Ironman.

It was a huge event that would run for several hours, beginning with a three mile swim, followed by a half-marathon, before ending with a 250 Motocross race. All in, it was taking a tremendous amount of organisation to ensure none of the events ran into each other, and that all the events ran smoothly. More importantly, she needed to ensure everyone felt like their events were getting equal coverage and no one was getting pushed aside. She was already getting numerous people complaining that they were not getting fair coverage, or that they didn't have a good enough plot for their stall, or that they didn't get a good enough plot for their trailer.

She hung up the phone as she came over to a table where Casey was stretching off, preparing for the beginning of the Ironman event.

"Asshole!" She groaned as she took a seat, shaking her head in defeat. "Trust me, if you want a heart attack by the time you're 30, arrange an X-games event."

"What's the problem?" Casey asked her.

"Both Iazamu and Factory Blue have turned up with two trailers." She complained. "They're taking up half the lot."

"I can see how that's a problem." Casey agreed as Camille came over to him, handing him a bottle of water. Holly wasn't far behind, clearly excited by all the fuss and hustle as people prepared for the beginning of the tournament. "I thought this was an amateur event anyway. How can they enter?"

"Their athletes 'retired' at the end of the season." Gabby groaned, making air quotes with her fingers. "They're technically eligible. Of course, you know they'll be re-signed next season."

"Listen, I'd love to stay and talk about this, but I need to get to the beach." He told her, picking up his daughter. "Come on sweetheart."

Dom and Master Phant came over as she got another call on her cell phone, which she simply ignored. Master Phant laughed to see her stressing so much.

"I'm guessing everything's running smoothly." Dom greeted her as he gave her a cup of coffee. Gabby just shook her head.

"Trust me; I'll be happy when all this is over." She muttered. "This is all really getting on top of me."

"Well if anyone can handle it then you can." Dom said reassuringly as he put his arm around her. Just then, they were interrupted as a rocket went off a little way from them.

"God, can't anyone do anything right?" Gabby yelled as she got onto her cell phone again. "Who set that off? The fireworks aren't meant to go off until AFTER the Ironman!"

"She loves this really." Dom commented. "Sometimes I don't think Gabby's happy unless she's doing a million things at once."

"She gets a lot of that from her father." Master Phant replied. "George was always like that. He always has something going on."

As Master Phant got up, Dom looked to her a little curiously.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have something important to do." He replied. "I'll be back long before the end of the Ironman. Tell Gabby I'll see her then."

Meanwhile, at a trader's tent a little way from them, Mike was looking over the selection of tees, caps and buttons available when Veronica arrived. She tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. He smiled as he saw her.

"I was beginning to think I had been stood up." He commented. She just smiled.

"I wouldn't do that." She assured him. "I just got a little held up, that's all."

As she brushed up against him, Mike didn't notice as she slipped her hand into his pocket, taking out his medication. He smiled as he heard the announcement of the first event.

"So is skateboarding your kind of thing?" He asked her. She just shrugged.

"I guess we could give it a look." She told him, putting an arm around him. "Come on."

On the other side of the site, Charity and Rad were making their way through the crowds, taking in the chaos as everyone prepared for their events. Rad was carrying a couple of servings of cotton candy, keeping Charity's while she worked her chair through the crowds.

"This is great; the boss lady really pulled it together." Rad commented as they looked around. Charity just nodded in agreement as they started to make their way towards the skate park.

"I never doubted it for a second." Charity told him. "You know what she's like once she gets an idea in her head."

"She's definitely one tough lady." Rad agreed. "If she can put up with me, then she can cope with just about anything."

They got to the edge of the half-pipe, at which Rad handed the cotton candy to his girlfriend, putting an arm around her as he knelt next to her.

"So who's up first?" He asked her.

"Misty Hughes." Charity told him. "She's one of the hottest juniors on the scene right now. She tore up the place in the Reefside tournament a few months ago."

"Is she as good as you were?" Rad asked her. Charity just smiled.

"What do you think?" She asked him as Misty started her run. Rad leaned in, kissing her cheek softly.

Over at the beach, Casey was just warming up as the other competitors in the Ironman arrived and prepared. He looked around, smiling as he saw Fred arriving.

"I heard you were competing." He commented. "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

"I'm into anything with prize money." Fred told him. "I'm hoping to get to college, but things are a bit tight at home. I've applied for every scholarship there is, but Julie's the brains in the family."

"Well there are plenty of sports scholarships." Casey commented as the race marshals started to gather them to the starting position. Casey reached out a hand, shaking Fred's in a gesture of friendly competition. "Good luck."

"You too." Fred replied.

As the marshal held up the starting pistol, he called them all to attention. As soon as the gun fired, they sprinted towards the ocean. The race was on.

Back at the skate park, Rad and Charity were watching the competitors on the junior skating event going through their paces as they enjoyed each other's company. On the other side of the park though, Mike and Veronica were also keeping an eye on things. Veronica was beginning to get a little bored. She was only really here as part of her mission, and she had already accomplished her objective here. She just couldn't leave too early in case Mike got suspicious.

"That last kid was really good." Mike stated as he took a long slug of his shake. "I can't believe all of these kids are under 18."

"They're all exceptionally good." She agreed. She looked around in the crowd, seeing Rad on the other side of the skate park. She got a little smirk on her face as she saw him. She had figured he'd be here, it was his presence in Ocean Bluff that had confirmed her suspicion that The Vault was somewhere near the city. He looked as if he sensed something, and she was sure he had picked up on her presence. Veronica smiled as she saw him looking to her, his face becoming blank as he recognised her. She leaned in to Mike.

"Listen, I've got something I need to do." She told him. "I'll see you in a bit."

Rad watched her go, and leaned in to Charity, kissing her gently.

"I could really do with some soda." He told her. "Would you like some?"

"Sure." She replied, waving him off, her gaze never leaving the park. "Don't be too long."

Rad slipped through the crowd, following Veronica as she made her way into the woods behind the complex. He leapt over the fence, following her closely. They made their way to a clearing beyond prying eyes, at which she turned to face him, smiling a little.

"So you did come here." Rad greeted her. She nodded.

"You know what I want." She replied.

"It's not going to happen." He replied, beginning to circle her, tensing up as he prepared for action. Veronica didn't even bother turning to keep him in view. "Your friend really is quite pretty. I never thought that was your type."

"Leave her out of this." He put down flatly. Veronica just laughed.

"You should know better than to try and threaten me." She responded. "So how much exactly does your little girlfriend know about you? Would she even know why I was...?"

Rad rushed to the attack, having heard enough. Veronica ducked and dodged several of his blows, before confronting him.

"You'll have to do better than that Fire Ninja." She taunted him. Rad concentrated all his power, firing a blast at her, engulfing her in flames. Veronica though just stepped through the blaze, seemingly untouched. "Please, I've taken dumps with more power than that."

Rad continued the attack, launching into a barrage of hard punches and kicks, all of which were blocked with ease, before countering with a hard punch herself, sending him stumbling into a tree.

As Rad tried to recover, she kicked him hard in the ribs, before placing a foot against his throat, holding him up, choking the life from him.

"You'll never find it." He croaked out. Veronica just glared at him.

"I've already found The Vault." She told him, before hitting him with a hard spin-kick, sending him to the ground, unconscious. She knelt down next to him.

"This has been fun Fire Ninja." She told him. "Thanks for leading me to Ocean Bluff."

With that, she rushed off heading in the direction of The Vault. Her plan was beginning to take shape, and it would not be long before she had exactly what she was looking for.

On the beach, the competitors were just beginning to come out of the water following the swimming section of the race. Casey was in the lead, but Warren and Fred were close behind him.

Slipping on trainers, Casey started on the route into the road race, to the cheers of the crowd. He could see Camille and Holly in the front row, cheering him on, while Liv and Johnny were there cheering on Fred. He waved to them all as he set his pace, hoping to extend his lead. He knew that the motocross was his weakest event, so he was hoping to have a good lead by the time he got to the bikes. So far things looked to be going well, but there was still a long way to go before he could relax.

Over at The Vault, Master Phant was deep within the inner sanctum with Sean. While he was only one of the five guardians, he was the most frequent visitor. Ever since Sean and his friends had opted to stay at The Vault to guard it, it was necessary to ensure that they were given supplies regularly. Master Phant was only too happy to perform this task, since it allowed him to check on the mystical defences they had erected around it. The previous battle at The Vault had weakened those defences, and so he was always keen to make sure that the new defences.

"Do you really have to check over everything every time?" Sean asked in his thick accent. "Ever since Daggeron and Leanbow put the concealment charm back up, you're the only visitor we've had. Tangaroa once went out for a run and it took him two days to find his way back."

"You know me Sean, I'm just overly cautious." He told him. "It's just one of the eccentricities of old age."

"Just then, they heard a blast coming from outside, and dust came billowing down from the stairs. Grace came tumbling down the stairs, bloody and battered. Sean and Master Phant came over to her. Sean looked in horror at her cold, lifeless eyes.

"She's dead." He gasped. As they heard some footsteps coming down the stairs, Sean and Master Phant prepared to fight, pulling out their weapons. Veronica rounded the corner, stepping over Grace's corpse as she confronted them.

"Your friends are both dead." She informed them. "Unless you want to end up the same way, I would advise you to just stand aside."

Sean's anger overtook him as he rushed her, powering up his Adder spirit.

"Sean no!" Master Phant called out as he sensed Veronica's power flaring up. Sean's attack was just swatted aside, before she seized him by the throat, tearing out his jugular in one swift motion. Sean grabbed his neck, gurgling as he slumped to the ground, his blood staining the floor.

"So, the mighty Master Phant, we meet at last." She greeted him, taking a bow. "I would prefer not to have to take your life too."

"I think you will find this old man is far from an easy opponent." He replied, swinging his Jungle Mace.

Back at the site the tournament was well underway. Numerous prizes had been given out, and a number of fans were parting with their hard-earned cash on the numerous souvenir stands and food vendors. Charity came over to the JKP stand where RJ and Johnny were doing a roaring trade.

"Hey, are you having a good time?" RJ asked her. Charity just nodded.

"Yeah, um...have either of you guys seen Rad?" She asked them. "He went to get some sodas. That was a couple of hours ago."

"Knowing him, he probably saw something shiny and got distracted." Johnny scoffed sarcastically. RJ just smacked him on the shoulder to silence him.

"I don't think so; I doubt he'd be gone that long." She replied. Just then, Rad came back to the stall, looking a little roughed up as a result of his battle with Veronica. He had been handed a humiliating defeat at her hands. He knew she was powerful, but he had no idea she had grown in power so much since he had encountered her last. Charity looked at him, a little concerned.

"Rad, where have you been?" She asked him. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, I just fell." He told them dismissively. "Sorry, I forgot about the sodas."

"Rad..."

"Look, you don't need to worry, I'm fine." He replied, looking around cautiously. He was thankful that Veronica hadn't carried out her threat to come after Charity, but he didn't want to take any chances. "Where's Gabby?"

"She's over by the store." RJ told him. "She's handling some dispute with the Iazamu rep."

"I'll talk to her later then." He replied, his instincts telling him to stick close to Charity. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her because of him.

Over at The Vault, Master Phant lay on the floor, defeated, and covered in his own blood. He looked up to his mysterious opponent, unable to believe the power she had at her disposal.

"You cannot open the vault." He told her. "Only one of the guardians can, and I will never allow you in."

"You overestimate your usefulness to me old man." She replied, powering up an energy orb and blasting the doors open. "I only have one use for you now Elephant Master."

She stepped inside, looking at the artefacts before her, her eyes wide in wonder. She smiled as she ran her hands over the forbidden treasures.

"Go with your miserable life." She instructed him. "Tell everyone what you saw here. Tell everyone that The Vault has fallen."

Master Phant got to his feet and sprinted away as fast as his legs would carry him in his current condition. As he got out into the forest, he turned as he heard a blast, only to see the temple which had stood for thousands of years, reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds.

He turned and ran, intent on warning his friends of what had happened. If the contents of The Vault had fallen into the wrong hands, then they were all in danger.

The Tournament was drawing to a close and the Ironman contestants had arrived at the motocross track to complete the final section of their race.

Casey had secured a comfortable lead in the road race, but he was finding his inexperience in motocross costing him dearly as the others were gaining on him. Fred appeared to be surprisingly adept on a bike, and was making up ground, whereas Warren was obviously more than used to 250s.

As they came around for the final stretch, Casey slid his bike a little wide, which gave Fred and Warren all the opportunity they needed to overtake.

Fred was keeping good pace with Warren, but the older competitor was just a little ahead.

That was when luck turned in Fred's favour. One of the other competitors had crashed on an earlier lap, and had yet to clear off the track. Warren only saw him as they came over a high jump, but by then it was too late, he was already airborne. Doing the only thing he could to stop himself hitting the other rider, he let go of his own bike and pushed it away with his legs, causing it to crash a little way from him, while he took a hard spill on the track.

With the way clear ahead, Fred had no one to stop him as he took the flag. The crowd cheered as he skidded to a halt, throwing off his helmet as Liv and Julie came to his side to celebrate.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to announce your winner..."

Fred took the microphone from Gabby as she was about to announce him the winner. He looked around the crowd.

"Warren was a tremendous competitor." Fred announced. "If it hadn't been for that crash, he would have taken the flag. We all saw that. I don't want to win like that. I would like to officially concede the victory to him."

Gabby smiled as he said this. Warren had indeed put on an impressive showing for himself. If it hadn't been for the crash, he would have won, and even then, he had taken most of the damage in his efforts to prevent himself hitting the other rider. She was happy to do it.

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "A thousand dollars is a lot of money."

"There'll be other competitions." Fred assured her. Gabby went over to where Warren was being helped to his feet by a couple of medics.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear a big round of applause for a tremendous sport, Fred Kitchner!" She announced over the microphone to a round of applause. "The winner of the first ever Ocean Bluff Ironman, Warren!"

Warren smiled as she presented him with the trophy and the prize money, before leaving him with the local news crews to talk about the event. Dom came over to her, putting an arm around her and kissed the top of her head softly.

"You've done well." He told her as the fireworks marking the end of the event began. Gabby smiled and nodded.

"I'm just glad everyone had a good time." She told him. She started to walk towards the store, at which Dom followed her.

"Don't you want to join the party?" He asked her. "I mean, this is your baby, you should take your share of the glory."

"I think I'd rather just relax." She told him. Dom smiled as he went into the store with her.

"Well it would be a nice change of pace to see you relax." He told her, wrapping his arms around his wife. Just then, they heard a crash from the back of the store. Gabby and Dom rushed into the back to find Master Phant stumbling in the back door, covered in blood and clearly in pain. He was out of breath, and having problems standing. He collapsed onto his niece and her husband, clutching his chest.

"Uncle!" Gabby shrieked as she cradled him in her arms. "Dom, get Flit! Uncle, what happened?"

"The Vault..." He managed to force out as he struggled against the stabbing pain in his chest. Gabby saw him stroking his arm and knew that he was having a heart attack. She struggled to keep him comfortable, hoping that Flit would get there and be able to help him. "The Vault has been destroyed."

He reached up with a hand, wiping away a tear as she held him, before his eyes closed. Gabby felt her tears running down her face as her beloved uncle, the mighty Master Phant, breathed his last.

Flit and Michelle arrived, finding Gabby holding him as his body started to glow, before disappearing, taking him to the spirit world. Flit and Dom came to Gabby's side, comforting her in her time of need.


	53. Veronica's Motive

Mike made his way back into his bedroom when he got back home after the tournament. The celebrations had begun, and it was pretty much inevitable that most of the teams would be partying long into the night. He had noticed that there was some kind of commotion near Storm Chargers, and many of Liv's friends and family seemed to be milling about, like something serious had happened, but he thought better of going to see what it was and just left.

The thing he was most upset about, however, was Veronica's disappearance. She had gone to get a soda during the first event, and just seemed to disappear without a trace. He knew she was disappointed that he wasn't willing to offer her anything more than friendship at this time, while he was still trying to figure out his own place in life following his episode, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt that she just left. Everyone left. His dad left, his mother had turned her back on him, only agreeing to allow him back in the house when she had virtually no choice in the matter.

Feeling the anger building up in him, he started to breathe deeply. He hated that part of himself. He wanted things to be easy, to no longer find his anger taking control and turning him into the truly despicable person he had been before his treatment. He picked up his jacket, and reached into the pocket for his medication. He found to his alarm that it wasn't there.

He threw the jacket aside, and started to scramble around in desperation, throwing clothes, books and other items around carelessly as he searched for them in the hopes he had misplaced them. He heard a knock on the door.

"Mike?" His mother called through. "Mike, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me mom!" He called back.

"What are you doing in there?" She asked him. He was about to answer, but the words wouldn't come out. As much as he wanted help to find his medication, he couldn't help feeling a thought creeping into his mind. What if his mom didn't believe him? What if she thought he got rid of the medication on purpose? She had made it painfully clear when he came back to Ocean Bluff that this was his very last chance. If anything else happened, he would be going straight back to the hospital. He started to shiver in a cod dread as that thought came to him. He knew that it would be best, be easiest if he could get his medication, but right now his biggest fear was that he would end up back in the hospital.

"I just fell over." He lied. "I'm just clearing up the mess."

"Are you sure?" His mom asked him. "Perhaps I should come in..."

"I'm fine mom, I'll deal with it." He replied hurriedly. "I'm a bit tired, I'd just like an early night."

He heard his mother leave, at which he went to the door and put on the lock. He hated lying, but then he was sure it was necessary if he was to get through this. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to get his thoughts onto things that wouldn't upset him. As he did so, his dragon amulet started to glow.

In another part of town, Veronica got a sick smile on her face as she held Mike's pills in her hand. Before her, three boxes lay on the ground as she meditated, accessing her mental abilities in the continuation of her plan. The room was bathed in a deep, red glow as she concentrated. Now that The Vault had fallen, she was sure it would only be a matter of time before the Guardians knew. It would take them some time until they realised what had happened, and more importantly what had survived the assault. Right now though, she could only concentrate on the task in hand. After all, she already had what she wanted right in front of her.

Ocean Bluff had been cloaked in a deathly darkness, as though the very heavens mourned the loss of Master Phant as Master Swoop arrived at the site of The Vault. The enchantments concealing it had long since dissipated with the destruction of the fortress. The ground was charred, and some rubble was strewn in all directions, though remarkably little was left. It was as though whoever had done this terrible deed had intended to obliterate The Vault and everything in it completely. No stone stood upon another, and nothing recognisable was left of the once-proud structure.

He kicked over a stone, finding some charred remnants of relics left on the ground. Given the nature of what had been stored there, he could take no chances. Even one of those relics in the wrong hands was enough to threaten the safety of the entire world. The only reason they hadn't been destroyed and instead had been hidden from the world was because they were so powerful, it was feared they could not be destroyed without risking wide scale destruction. It would be akin to attempting to disarm a nuke with a sledgehammer.

He heard a screech from the air. Hawks would have long since left town for the winter, but this was no ordinary hawk as well he knew. As it landed, it shifted in form, transforming into a man in long robes.

"It's been a long time Kiya." He commented. Sensei Watanabe nodded in agreement as he pulled his robes more tightly around himself.

"I only wish the reunion could have been under more pleasant circumstances." He replied. Just then, they were interrupted by the sound of a horse's screech. They turned, just as a flash of light heralded the arrival of the unicorn Brightstar. The gold-armoured knight leapt off, landing on his feet and swept his cloak behind him as he came over to them.

"I can see you weren't exaggerating." Daggeron sighed. "Does that mean...?"

"I'm afraid so." Swoop replied with a sigh, nodding to confirm the detail. "Master Phant now resides in the spirit world."

Daggeron placed a hand on his shoulder as he de-morphed. Just then, the air lit up, and the temperature rose rapidly as a flame blazed across the sky. As it came closer, revealing itself to be a phoenix, it landed and the flames dissipated, revealing the last of the five fingers, Leanbow. He looked to the destruction all around him, and sighed. When Swoop had sent him the summons, he had hoped, just like the others, that he had been exaggerating, but looking at the rubble, he could see that he wasn't. Unfortunately that also meant that he was the last to arrive. Master Phant was not coming.

"Then The Vault is no more." Leanbow commented. "Unfortunately we need to be sure."

"I doubt there's much to find." Daggeron muttered. "Still, I suppose the sooner we begin, the sooner we can rule out the possibility of something being stolen."

Mike was in his room, being tortured once again by his dreams. This time though, they were a lot more vivid. He could hear and see everything in much more detail. He was forced to see all the horrible things he had done, but that wasn't what his mind was drawn to. It was all the times he had been humiliated. He saw the time the Wolf Ranger had assaulted him on the beach, interrupting his fight with Johnny. He could feel something familiar about his presence though, something that he hadn't before. It was like he knew them.

He thrashed around wildly, whimpering as he once again found himself in the apartment, standing over RJ and his family. He could hear every scream.

This time as he looked to Liv though, he saw the light come from her, and form in the air. He could now see that she hadn't done anything to him. She never even moved. Instead the light formed in the air into a beast...a badger, before rushing through him smashing him to the ground.

He woke up with a start, now finding that he was no longer in his bedroom. He was in a dark, unfamiliar room which was bathed in a deep red light. Symbols painted on the walls were glowing with an evil, unnatural power. As he looked to the middle of the room, he saw Veronica sitting there, in the middle of a circle of candles.

"Veronica?" He asked her. He got up, and looked to her in confusion. "What the hell is happening?"

"You know what's happening." She told him with a smirk as she stood up, pulling her coat behind her. "I'm showing you what really happened to you."

"This is a dream." He yelled, shaking his head. "If I had my pills..."

"You mean these?" She asked him, holding up the bottle. Just then, a flame flared up from her hand, destroying them. "I can assure you, this is very real."

"What is this?" He asked her. "Why are you doing this to me? I thought you were my friend!"

"I am your friend, probably the best friend you ever had." She told him, casting more visions in his mind. He grabbed his head screaming. "They were the ones who took everything from you! Humiliated you, broke you into this pale shadow of what you once were!"

She approached him as the images continued to torture him, showing him the secrets of those he had tormented.

"The father, the Wolf Ranger who humiliated you on the beach." She told him. "The teacher, who exposed your cheating and got you expelled, and who has tried to keep you out of school since you got back!"

"Shut up!" He screamed.

"Why, even your ex, the one who sent you to that hospital in the first place!" She concluded. "All of them had their part in sending you away, convincing you that you were the one with the problem, all so they could keep their dirty little secrets under wraps."

She came to him, grabbing him by the throat as she pushed harder, tearing apart what was left of his resolve.

"They destroyed you and turned you into this snivelling little wreck of a man." She told him. "Now though, I will give you what you really deserve, the chance to avenge what they did!"

Mike's screams erupted as she shredded the last of his sanity, preparing him for what he still had to do.

The following morning, Gabby and Dom arrived at Master Phant's cabin in the woods. Dom held his wife as they approached. She had always loved coming here. The peace and the serenity of this place had always been something she had loved, but now it was just too quiet. Looking to the well-tended flower beds, she sighed and shed a tear as she realised that he would never again tend to those plants.

"Come on." He whispered to her. "I'm still here."

They went inside, looking around the tiny cottage at his few meagre possessions. He had lived a very Spartan, existence. It wasn't much to show for a life that had been lived for so long. There were some clothes, the simple woollen robes that he always wore, and a few scrolls. In the corner was a chest, which held what few other knick knacks he had accumulated in his life. He had never been much of a hoarder, preferring to only keep what was essential to his duties.

Gabby knelt down, picking up an old, worn piece of parchment, and looked at the faded writings on it. It was an ancient language, one that he had tried to teach her once, but that she hadn't had the patience to learn. Now, she would never get the chance. As far as she knew, Master Phant was the only one who still read it.

"It all seems so small and insignificant." She commented. "This is his life, and it doesn't look like it'll fit in more than a couple of boxes."

"He didn't believe in clutter." Dom sighed.

"This is his whole life." She muttered. "What will become of it now?"

"Without a will, I guess it's yours now." Dom told her. She hated to think of that now. She had lost her beloved uncle only last night, and now she was here to settle what happened to his possessions.

"I don't want it." She told him, looking around at the cottage. "It feels wrong being here."

"It's yours to do with as you see fit." Dom reminded her. "If you don't want to come back here, then I won't make you, but some of this stuff should see its way to good hands."

"I'll give his possessions to Jarrod." She told him. "His robes aren't worth much, but these scrolls, the books, the weapons...it just seems like the temple is the place for them."

"Are you sure you don't want to keep anything?" He asked her. Gabby looked to the corner, and smiled as she saw a small canvas bag and went over, picking it up. She had loved going camping with her uncle. It was his kit, an ancient tent that he had always used. It was older than she was, and smelled a little musty, but it was sturdy, and up to the task. She threw the bag over her shoulder.

"I'll keep this." She told him. "I doubt Jarrod will have much use for it."

As her tears began again, Dom held her tightly to him.

"It's not fair Dom, it's just not fair!" She screamed in anguish. "He was a Pai Zhuq master! He's not meant to die of a heart attack! It's no way for his legend to end."

"He died doing his duty." Dom reminded her. "You were there when he vanished. You know he's in the Spirit World."

"I want him back Dom." She told him. "I don't care how wonderful the spirit world's meant to be. I just want him back."

"I know you do." He assured her as he kissed her softly, holding her in a comforting embrace. "I wish I could have my dad back too."

Johnny and Liv were in the park, having opted to leave Lily and RJ alone. Lily was very close to Master Phant, viewing him as almost a grandparent. They knew she'd never had an opportunity to know her own grandparents, and had accepted him into her life as so much more than just a master. It was only natural that she was upset, and they opted to give her some privacy to mourn in her own way.

Johnny had an arm around Liv as they walked past the place in the park where they had scattered her parents' ashes. He could understand why she wanted to come here, but he still didn't know if it was exactly the healthiest of things for her.

Just then, they saw something odd. A dark figure stood in the shade of a tree, his back to them. He appeared to be wearing a black fur cloak, which whipped around him in the wind.

"It's alright." Liv whispered to him. "We'll wait till he leaves."

"Who says I'm going anywhere?" They heard a low, rumbling voice coming from the stranger. Johnny looked to Liv, and they both looked back a little confused. He should never have been able to hear them from there. Johnny started to approach him, at which the stranger held up a hand, encased in a black leather gauntlet.

"That is close enough Johnny." The stranger warned him. The stranger sniffed the air. "You're still wearing the same perfume I see Liv."

The stranger turned around slowly, revealing himself to them. Johnny looked a little confused as he saw him.

"Mike?" He asked, beholding him. He was wearing dark leather clothing, trimmed in gold, and inlaid with evil designs. His eyes burned with insanity, and his face was cold and unfeeling. "What are you doing here?"

"You should know Johnny." He replied. "You and your Ranger friends made me what I am."

They both started to back away as they heard him say this. How could he know about the Rangers?

"Come on Liv, lets' see that badger again." He taunted her. "Let's see you try and take me down again!"

"Get out of here kids." Swoop announced as he arrived with the other four fingers, the guardians of The Vault. Mike looked to them all and sneered.

"You seem to be a finger short of a full set." He commented.

"What's going on?" Liv asked them. "Who are they?"

"There's no time to explain, just get out of here." Swoop told them. "Run, run as fast as you can, don't stop for anything until you get home. Go!"

"Oh come on Bat Master. You made them part of this." Mike told him. "You're the ones to blame for this."

"What's he talking about?" Swoop asked him. "What's up with him? Why are you so worried about Mike?"

Johnny stepped forward, confronting Mike.

"I knew you were faking it." Johnny told him. "I don't know what paranoid fantasies you have in that brain of yours..."

Mike rushed forward, striking Johnny hard in the chest, sending him flying. The guardians all gathered around him and Liv, protecting him. Johnny looked up, stunned by the power of the attack. His bull spirit saved him from the worst of it.

"What the hell's going on?" He asked. "How did he...?"

"That's what we're trying to tell you. That isn't Mike." Daggeron explained. "The destruction of the Vault covered up the theft of Dai Shi's spirit."

"You mean that's Dai Shi?" Liv asked him. Mike just laughed.

"I want you to go to the temple master. Tell him thank you for my animal spirit." Dai Shi told them. "Tell him that I'll keep it safe."

"What spirit is he talking about?" Johnny asked. Just then, a golden glow surrounded his body, and a lion rushed from him. Only the combined might of the Guardians stopped it destroying them, but the effort cost them dearly.

"Michaela!" Swoop gasped. "You took her spirit!"

"He was so worried about his cub; he left her spirit in the Vault ready for my escape." He told them. He opened a portal which shimmered with dark energy. "Tell him that once I come back, the spirit will be strong enough. Farewell guardians."

With that, he stepped through the portal. Liv was about to rush through, but was held fast by Swoop, preventing her from following.

"No Liv, he's gone to the forbidden dimension!" He told her as the portal disappeared. "Only he can open a portal there. If you had gone through you'd have been trapped there!"

They gathered up the kids and started to head out the park. They needed to assemble the Rangers, at very least to let them know of the new threat. Dai Shi was back, and amassing his power. While Michaela's spirit was still an infant, and Dai Shi's new host had yet to unify the powers, it still didn't bode well, and while he was in the Forbidden Dimension, he had all the time he needed.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Veronica was in her lair, preparing for her own departure from town. She had gotten everything she had needed from The Vault. As a dark figure appeared behind her, she smiled.

"You did as I asked." He told her.

"If you'd trusted me instead of my useless cousins, then you'd have succeeded the first time." She told him. "Once I released Dai Shi, he was only too willing to use his power to restore you."

"And for that I am grateful." Lothor told her as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Now, I will need you with me while I recover my strength. Until then, I will be vulnerable."

"Of course, though something tells me the Rangers will be far too concerned about Dai Shi to even know you're gone." She told him with a smirk. "But I will be by your side, just as I should have been all along."

"Of course you should have." He replied with a smile as she turned to face him. "After all, no-one's as loyal as daddy's little girl."


	54. A Generational War

Everyone assembled at the apartment above JKP, having been summoned following the events at the park. By now they all knew that the one thing that no one would have wished for had finally come to pass. Dai Shi had returned, and unlike the previous times, it seemed this time he was taking no chances.

Susan held Jarrod, who was understandably distraught. He was the Temple Master, and as such the war with Dai Shi was a large part of his duties. Of course, there was another reason he was so upset, a complication that made it all the more real. Dai Shi had taken Mike as a host body, but he still needed the power of an animal spirit. Unfortunately, he had one, and Jarrod had practically given it to him.

When his daughter's animal spirit started to manifest when she was only a couple of months old, he had been placed in a horrendous position, knowing that it was harming her to allow the spirit to continue to maintain control. He also knew that separating a person from their animal spirit was in no way an easy decision. Both the wielder and the spirit were intrinsically connected, and while a person could live without their spirit, doing so was not a happy existence. He had to make the heartbreaking decision to remove her animal spirit in order to save her life. Master Phant had taken the spirit to The Vault for safe keeping, with the intention that they could return it to her when she was old enough to train and unify with it. Now though, Dai Shi had possession of her spirit, and gone where they couldn't follow.

Susan knew that Jarrod would be blaming himself, not only for the damage Dai Shi could do with Michaela's lion spirit, but also for the fact that he now didn't know if he would ever be able to return his daughter's animal spirit. It was possible that in his desperation to save her, he had doomed Michaela to live a half-life, with the loneliness of knowing that something was missing from her, and knowing that she would have no one to blame but him.

"Alright, we all know why we're here." RJ sighed as he prepared to begin the briefing. He had a hand on Lily's shoulder, and another on Liv's. He looked around the room to the whole team assembled before him. "I'm afraid it looks like what we always feared has come to pass. Dai Shi has returned."

"I'll say he has." Johnny muttered. "He kicked all of our butts!"

"He has not yet attained full control of his newfound power." Master Swoop told them. "He left before he put himself in danger, but believe me; I felt the power at his disposal. We would have been no match for him."

"How could this have happened?" Liv asked them. "How could Dai Shi have escaped?"

"It was my fault." They heard a voice announce. They all turned to face the door, seeing Rad standing there in a leather uniform. He looked to them all regretfully.

"A Fire Ninja?" Sensei Watanabe gasped, recognising the uniform. "But...Lothor destroyed the Fire Academy years ago! He wiped out all the Fire Ninjas!"

"Actually one survived." Rad corrected him. "Our style has been passed down in my family since then, sworn to ensure the destruction of Lothor."

"Lothor?" RJ asked him, remembering the time he had come to Ocean Bluff. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

"He was never destroyed." Lily recalled. "We imprisoned him in The Vault."

"Yeah, when Lothor came, we kicked his butt." Casey recalled. "I don't remember seeing you there."

"That was because at the time I still believed he had been destroyed in Mesagog's fortress." He told them. "I was pursuing another danger to the world. Lothor's family."

"But...all his family are in Blue Bay." Sensei Watanabe told him. "My son and I dedicated our lives to defeating him. They may be trying, but I doubt Mara and Kapri..."

"I'm not talking about his nieces." Rad explained with a sigh. "I'm talking about his daughter."

"His daughter?" Kiya asked him, stunned by this revelation. "But he..."

"He had a daughter with a woman shortly after he was banished from Earth." He informed them. "He raised her and trained her in secret, not allowing anyone to know of her existence. He didn't know if he would live to return to Earth and exact vengeance, and so he was keeping her as his secret weapon...a back-up plan if you will. It was her that he sent against the Fire Academy. She tried to wipe us out, but one of us survived. That's how only we knew of her existence. I came to Ocean Bluff because I heard that Lothor was in The Vault and I figured it was only a matter of time before she showed up."

Gabby stormed over to Rad, punching him hard in the face and sending him to the floor. Dom rushed to her side, holding her back, but he could feel the rage in her, and he could see the tears in her eyes.

"You came to town for your own vendetta and you said nothing?" She snapped at him.

"How do you even know about The Vault?" RJ asked him.

"The Fire Academy used to be the guardians." Sensei Watanabe informed them. "The Wind Academy took their place when we believed the Fire Academy to be gone."

"So you just used The Vault as bait?" Gabby asked Rad, standing over him. "To settle your own vendetta, you led her right to us?"

"I wanted..."

"My uncle is dead!" She screamed, punching him again. "Sean is dead! Grace is dead! Tangaroa is dead and it's all because of you!"

"My family's legacy, the Fire Academy was destroyed by her!" He tried to explain. "She has to be stopped!"

"Well you did a great job of that didn't you?" Gabby snorted in disgust. "The Vault is gone, Dai Shi's released, Michaela's animal spirit is gone, and Lothor is on the loose again! How many more people have to suffer for your vendetta?"

"You don't understand, this is what I've been raised for!" He told her. "I was trained since I could walk in our style. I was raised on the legends to be the one to destroy Veronica for good."

"Veronica?" Liv asked him. "Isn't she that weird Goth kid that was hanging around with Mike?"

"It looks like she was grooming him to become Dai Shi's vessel." Swoop stated. "She was posing as a student at the High School. I only saw her at the tournament and I tried to take her on."

"I'm guessing that went well." Gabby snapped at him. He shook his head.

"She's far more powerful than I could ever have thought." He told her. "She bushwhacked me before going to The Vault."

"So she's the one that did this." Gabby replied. "She released Dai Shi."

"Wait, that doesn't make sense." Casey chipped in. "I mean, last time they tried to play nicely together it didn't go too well. Why would Lothor want Dai Shi running around?"

"He doesn't." Master Finn stated flatly. "However, if you remember rightly the last time Lothor was freed from imprisonment, it took him some time to be powerful enough to try another attack."

"He was in hiding for years." Gabby replied. "Then releasing Dai Shi, all those deaths, all of that was just a distraction."

"One that may well consume us all if we allow it to." They heard a regal voice stating. Master Mao appeared in the room, surrounded by a bright, glowing light. He turned to Jarrod and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hard times will face you in the future. I'm afraid that now the sacred duty falls to you."

"I am not you father." Jarrod told him. "I cannot..."

"Nor did I." He interrupted him. "I'm afraid that Pai Zhuq must once again take on the role it always has."

"To protect the earth." Casey stated. Master Mao shook his head.

"To prepare the future defenders of the Earth." He told them. "Dai Shi retreating to The Forbidden Dimension was a desperate move, but a clever one. There, time has no meaning. He could train for a millennium and not age a single day. He now has all the time he needs to train and strengthen his control over his stolen animal spirit."

"So how do we get in there?" Johnny asked him. Master Mao shook his head.

"That is why it is such a desperate move." Master Mao told him. "No one goes into the Forbidden Dimension for good reason. Few ever come out. To open a portal will require tremendous energy, the kind of power Dai Shi may one day possess, but that will not happen for some time."

"What are you trying to say?" RJ asked him.

"He's saying that the war with Dai Shi is no longer ours." Master Finn told his son sadly, before resting a hand on his shoulder. "By the time Dai Shi has amassed enough power, our time will have passed. It may not even be your war son."

"You mean...?" He turned and looked to Liv and David, realising what he meant. It was possible that they would never see Dai Shi again. If he chose, he could remain in The Forbidden Dimension for years, even centuries. Long after they were all gone, he could still be amassing his power. No, they had to prepare for the eventuality that the war would fall to another generation.

"So what about Lothor and Veronica?" Casey asked. "I mean, we can't do anything about Dai Shi right now. Maybe we should be concentrating on finding Lothor before he gets his full power back."

"We'll do that." Gabby stated with authority. "I'll find her and make her pay for what she did!"

"I'm afraid it will not be that simple child." Master Phant stated as he arrived in the room. Gabby and the others all marvelled as they saw the Elephant Master once again. They knew that Mao's power was allowing him to come back briefly, allowing him to contact them. It was something that he rarely did. Normally spirits could only cross from the Spirit World in the direst of circumstances. He would only be allowed to come if he had something important to tell them.

"Uncle?" She asked him. He turned to Master Mao, who just nodded.

"Come with me." He told her. "I must speak with you in private."

She went outside with him, onto the balcony. She could hardly look at him, not knowing what to feel. She loved the fact that he had come for her, but it was bittersweet. She knew that he was still in the Spirit World, and that after he was gone, she would probably not see him again unless she too went to the Spirit World.

"Do not grieve for me child." He told her, leaning on the safety rail. He smiled at her. "I implore you. I know the depths of your grief, and the breadth of your anger, but please, do not seek vengeance."

"She killed you." Gabby whispered. "She deserves..."

"We all meet our Karma sooner or later." Master Phant interrupted her, reaching across and wiping a tear from her eye. "It is how we live our lives before then that determines if we meet him as a friend or not."

"I just...all I want is to make her pay for what she's done." Gabby told him. "You can't ask me to ignore that. It's part of my duty to protect the world. It's part of my duty to stop her..."

"However, you have other responsibilities too." He told her. "You have your husband to consider. Your friends will need you."

He took a deep breath, something she found a little odd since strictly speaking he wouldn't need to breathe anymore as he prepared to tell her the next part.

"There is something that I have not told you, something very important." He stated. "It is about my position as one of the five fingers."

"What about it?" She asked him.

"Once someone is selected as one of the Guardians, they are required to ensure that it is always defended. Every one of the guardians has chosen a successor." Master Phant told her. He looked to her and smiled. "I chose you."

"I don't understand." She answered. "The Vault was destroyed. The artefacts are gone; there is no need for guardians now."

"There is another part to the responsibilities of the guardians, kind of a mystical insurance policy if you will." He told her. "The position of guardian has on it an enchantment designed to ensure that even if something happens to the successors, that there will be a legacy."

"I'm not sure I follow." She replied.

"There is a reason I never married or had children." He told her. "Daggeron was never fortunate enough to find the right partner, and neither was Swoop."

"Um...ok?" She stated. "So this has what to do with me?"

"The enchantment on the position is designed to ensure the legacy." He told her. "To do this, once the previous guardian dies, the new one becomes...fertile."

"Fertile?" Gabby asked, before her eyes opened wide in horror. "You mean...?"

"The guardian is guaranteed an heir." He told her. "Upon...well...you're adult enough to know how that process works."

Gabby just placed a hand on her stomach, before looking to him.

"We all grieve in our own way." He told her. "It is natural to want to celebrate life when we experience the loss of death."

"I'm pregnant?" She shrieked. He nodded to confirm the detail.

"It will be a couple of weeks before a test will confirm anything, but yes, you are carrying a child." He assured her. He took her hand, at which she felt a warm sensation rushing through her. "Like I said, you have other responsibilities to worry about."

Gabby nodded as she accepted what he had said. It was in her instinct to go after Veronica. She wanted to be the one to kill her for taking her beloved uncle from her, but she accepted that he only wanted what was best for her.

"My hip doesn't hurt anymore in cold weather." He told her. "And it's been years since I've played Rilla at chess. Just between you and me, he hasn't gotten any better since he died. I'm guessing he hasn't been practicing much."

Gabby just laughed as she heard him say this. It was just like him to find something to be happy about in any given situation, including his own death. She wiped away the last of her tears as she looked back to him.

"I'm really going to miss you." She told him. He just held her closely.

"I'll miss you too." He told her. "Take care of that baby. You'll make a wonderful mother."

With that, he disappeared, leaving Gabby once more alone with her new knowledge. She came back into the main room, finding the others all gathered around.

"What did he say?" Dom asked her.

"He told me not to seek vengeance." She told him, looking to Rad. "That way only leads to more harm."

"I'm sorry." He told her. "If I'd known..."

"Don't expect me to forgive you." Gabby told him flatly. "But blaming each other won't help anything. We'll need everyone we can get to prepare for any wars to come."

"I'll do whatever you need." Rad assured her. Gabby just nodded, happy at least to leave it at that.

"We'll step it up in training." Johnny told them. "If we are going to be facing then..."

"We appreciate the offer Johnny, but we can't ask you to get involved." RJ told him.

"I'm already involved. Mike wants me!" Johnny reminded them. "I'm not going to be in any less danger if I try and opt out. If this is coming, then I want to fight!"

"Me too." Liv assured them.

"Me too." Little holly said from the chair next to Camille. Although she was only two, she already had a lot of spirit. Casey just smiled.

"I guess Master Mao did say it may be down to another generation." Casey commented. "Then I guess we're all playing a part in preparing them."

"We are indeed." Gabby told them, sitting with her husband with a little smile on her face. He looked at her a little confused.

"What's got you so happy?" He asked her.

"Just thinking about something." She told him enigmatically. "I'll explain later."

Epilogue

And so it was that the Rangers did have some respite, it was some time before they were needed to do battle again. In that time, friends came and friends went. Just when Johnny and Liv were thinking of inviting Fred and Julie to join their world, fate intervened and Julie and Fred had to move to another city with their mother, seeking better opportunities. Although they were sad to see them go, they wished them well, and Johnny even let Fred take The Fury, saying he was sure he'd get more use out of it than him. Gabby and Dom meanwhile welcomed their daughter that year, a beautiful, strong girl that they opted to name Victoria in honour of Gabby's good friend from Blue Bay Harbour.

It was a few years afterwards that the next threat to the world came, though not one they had faced before. Venjix swept across the nations, destroying all in its path. Johnny and Liv, who had already moved to Corinth, stayed there, while the rest remained in Ocean Bluff, keeping what was left of it safe. One day, the forces of Venjix were destroyed and seemed to crumble as quickly as they arrived, but there were other challenges. With the world so ravaged, everything had to be rebuilt from scratch, and everyone had their part to play, even those not of the earth. The arrival of SPD to help the rebuild was welcome, but that story is covered elsewhere.

As the world started to be reformed, and the few threats came and went, they prepared for the day they would be needed again. After all, as long as the world has cruelty and evil, they will always need heroes, and on Earth, they have the Rangers. It's just as well, because they definitely were needed again...but that's another story!

Fin!

A/N: OK folks, I know you heard this once before, but this time this really IS the end of JFNL. The decision to end the story was not taken lightly, this is a story that's been running for over two years, 196 chapters, and more characters and twists than I ever would have believed I'd have created! Of course since its part of my wider continuity, which began with my very first fic, Fateful Homecoming way back in 2007, it's been so much more!

However, with the new series of Power Rangers coming, I faced a difficult decision to make, regarding whether I tried to once again weave a new season into my long-running "Earth One" continuity, which has encompassed everyone from MMPR to the RPM team. However, after a long think, I have decided that doing so would only lead to a ret-conning nightmare (just look at Marvel and the number of characters who can't decide if they're alive or dead!) It is with this in mind, I've decided to start bringing "Earth One" to a close, and beginning with a whole, brand new continuity when I start writing the beginning of the new season.

Fear not, however, "Earth One" is not dead and buried. My RPM will continue for some time yet, and if the muse descends, there may even be one-shots and shorts, but for now, it's adios to the JF team.

Thank you to all the loyal readers and reviewers who have made this such a fantastic ride. I can't believe how long I ran with this, and just wanted to end it before running it into the ground. Hope you all continue to follow my writing, and wish you all a Happy New Year.


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